More often than not, dominant scorers are remembered more than their defensive counterparts. But while flashy dunks and stepback 3-pointers make the highlight reels, it’s defense that wins championships.
Records are meant to be broken, or so they say. But some records seem like they’ll be safe forever. Among those select few instances is a defensive record: The NBA record for most blocks in a single game.
Considering the current mark is more than 50 years old and no player has come close to breaking it since the early 1990s, if it does eventually fall it will be a monumental night in NBA history.
But for now, let’s look back on an incredible feat by an often-forgetten player and why it remains one of the most impressive performances in NBA history.
The NBA Record for Blocks in a Single Game
Oct. 26, 1973. Elmore Smith and the Los Angeles Lakers host the Detroit Pistons. Smith, nicknamed “The Rejector,” swatted 14 shots en route to a 94-92 victory. It set the record for most blocks in a single game.
The record would last just 48 hours.
On Oct. 28, 1973, the Lakers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers. Smith shattered his previous record, blocking 17 shots (while adding 12 points and 16 rebounds for an absurd triple-double). The Lakers won 111-98.
For what it’s worth, one week later Smith would block 14 shots again, this time against the Houston Rockets.
Smith led the NBA in blocked shots twice in his short, eight-year career. He retired after the 1979 season due to a nagging knee injury and played just 24 games in 1978.
Other Notable High Block Performances
Since 2000, the record for single-game blocks is 12. Keon Clark (2001), JaVale McGee (2011) and Hassan Whiteside (2015) all hit that mark, with Dikembe Mutombo, Marcus Camby, Roy Hibbert, Serge Ibaka and Joakim Noah all behind them with 11 apiece.
Only three players other than “The Rejector” have achieved 14 or more blocks in a single game. Manute Bol and Mark Eaton each did it twice and Shaquille O’Neal did it once.
Eaton is tied with Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum for most blocks in a single playoff game with 10.
How Modern Players Stack Up to the Block Record
The game’s shift to offenses centered around 3-point shooting has resulted in far fewer blocks across the league. Still, there are plenty of defenders who lock down the paint.
Perhaps the game’s best over the last few seasons is Rudy Gobert. Gobert has averaged more than two blocks per game in nine of the last 10 seasons, with a peak of 2.7 in 2020. For comparison, Olajuwon averaged at least 2.7 blocks per game 10 times during his career. Olajuwon averaged 2.5 blocks per game in 13 of his 18 seasons.
However, Olajuwon retired in 2002 and competed during an era when teams played with more traditional big men. There was a focus on attacking the rim and backing down defenders. So there was more opportunity to rack up blocks.
How the NBA Tracks Blocked Shots: The History of the Stat
The NBA didn’t officially begin tracking blocks as a statistic until the 1973–74 season, meaning that legendary players like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell never got credit for their blocked shots.
Some NBA fans turned historians took it upon themselves to watch taped games and scour the records to get a rough idea of how pre-1973 players fared.
Obviously nothing is official, but using a 135-game sample resulted in Russell averaging 8.1 blocks per game and Chamberlain averaging 8.8.
The NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots is Olajuwon, with 3,830. Mutombo is in second place with 3,289. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Eaton are the only other players with at least 3,000.
The active blocks leader is Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez with 1,963 (through Dec. 8, 2024).
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What’s the NBA Record for Blocks in a Game?.
