Philadelphia 76ers Center Rises on NBA All-Time List

Andre Drummond is moving up the defensive rebounding leaderboard.

Oct 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (5) and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) tip off to start the game at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t get the result they wanted on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, but the team’s veteran center had an opportunity to improve his standing on the NBA’s all-time defensive rebounding list against his former team, surpassing a Pistons legend.

Andre Drummond came away from Wednesday’s game with 11 total rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Seven of his boards came on the defensive end.

As Drummond advanced to 7,045 defensive rebounds, he surpassed Ben Wallace, who retired with 7,038.

Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (5) boxes out Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) and center Clint Capela (15) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, Drummond made a bold statement, once again revealing his confidence in his rebounding abilities. The Sixers big man stated he was the best rebounder of all time.

Drummond’s ability to work the glass is a primary reason why the Sixers went out and acquired him in free agency over the summer.

Although Drummond joined the Sixers planning to play backup to the seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid, the former Pistons first-rounder has started the year off as a starter through four games.

The Sixers entered the 2024-2025 NBA season with plans to keep Joel Embiid on a strict injury management plan in order to avoid health concerns in the playoffs. Being that Embiid has had to play through injuries throughout most postseason runs he’s been a part of, the Sixers want to take a different approach to see if it can pay off in a different way.

In Embiid’s absence, Drummond has averaged 28 minutes of playing time in four games. Offensively, Drummond has scored ten points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field.

In the rebounding department, Drummond has come down with 13 per game. He’s been top three in rebounding since the season started last week.

Drummond’s latest accomplishment helped him land 31st in NBA history for defensive rebounding. He’s now chasing Miami Heat veteran Kevin Love, who currently has 7,209 boards. The next inactive player Drummond could surpass is Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, who is currently 29th with 7,217 defensive rebounds. If Drummond can maintain his same pace, he could surpass Bird in a little over 20 games.