50 Greatest NBA Power Forwards of All Time

What makes the perfect power forward? It depends on which basketball skills you value most. Rebounding? Defense? Elite scoring ability? Championships? 

More than that, does a great power forward have to be a certain size? Of all the five positions, power forward is the hardest and the easiest to define. Hard because of the importance placed on different abilities. Easy because there’s one undeniable trait all great power forwards have, toughness. 

These are the greatest power forwards in NBA history. 

Born: Aug. 5, 1962 (Boynton Beach, Florida)

High school: Lake Worth Community High School (Lake Worth, Florida)

College: Providence

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 250 pounds

Career: 17 seasons (1984-2001)

Teams: Kansas City/Sacramento Kings (1984-88, 1998), Houston Rockets (1988-95), Portland Trail Blazers (1995), Detroit Pistons (1995-97), Vancouver Grizzlies (1997-98), Washington Wizards (1999), Miami Heat (1999-2000), Charlotte Hornets (2000-01)

Stats: 1,257 G, 14.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 54.6 FG%

Career highlights: NBA champion (1994), NBA All-Star (1992)

(Note: All stats are through the end of the 2022-2023 regular season)

Otis Thorpe played for eight teams over 17 seasons but is best known for his seven-year stretch with the Houston Rockets and winning an NBA title with them in 1994.

Thorpe was the perfect complement for the Rockets next to Hakeem Olajuwon in the frontcourt and set the Rockets’ single-season field-goal percentage record at 55.9 percent in the championship season.

With Thorpe and Olajuwon, the Rockets had two players who could instantaneously switch between the two frontcourt positions. 

Born: March 14, 1969 (Tyler, Texas)

High school: Skyline High School (Dallas, Texas)

College: UNLV

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 235 pounds

Career: 10 seasons (1991-2001) 

Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1991-1996), New York Knicks (1996-2001) 

Stats: 707 G, 16.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 48.4 FG%

Career highlights: Two-time NBA All-Star (1993, 1995), All-NBA Team (1993), NBA Rookie of the Year (1992)

At one point in NBA history, there was no player tougher or more intimidating than Larry Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1991 out of UNLV. 

Johnson, a two-time All-Star, signed the richest contract in NBA history in 1993 when the Hornets got him for 12 years, $84 million.

His size, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, was more NFL defensive end than power forward but may have also been the cause of back problems that ended his career.