Player Calls Himself "Best Rebounder Of The Past Century"

"The best rebounder of the past century." That's probably a quote from Dennis Rodman, you're thinking. Except, it's not. Those are the boastful words of current Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond. 

Bulls' Andre Drummond says he's 'best rebounder of past century' https://t.co/jXpfSjwnNX @kennywademusic #nba #news #basketball pic.twitter.com/hh98aQ4Rje

— Kenny Wade (@KennyWadeMusic) October 26, 2022

Technically speaking, he's not wrong. At least certainly for this century. Since 2000-01, Drummond does have the highest rebounding numbers of anyone in the game. 

Asked by ⁦@byjuliapoe⁩ about his approach to limiting opponents’ damage via 2nd-chance points, Andre Drummond said “you have the best rebounder of the past century on your team. I take rebounding very seriously.”

Since 2000-01, he has highest per-game average. pic.twitter.com/BVRU9R4ROX

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 26, 2022

The 29-year-old's per-game average in his 10 seasons in the NBA is 13.2 rebounds. That's significantly better than 2nd place Dwight Howard, who's at 11.8, and Rudy Gobert, at 11.7. Others in the top 10 include Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Hassan Whiteside, down to the legend Tim Duncan at no. 10, who averaged 10.6 rebounds in his Hall of Fame career. 

According to the numbers, Drummond might even have a case for the previous century as well, as his "total rebounding percentage" of 24.68 is tops all-time, edging out the aforementioned Dennis Rodman, who was at 23.44.

Speaking of the Bulls' vastly improved rebounding and defense so far this season, Drummond told Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson,  “You have the best rebounder of the past century on your team, I take rebounding seriously. And I know that’s something this team lacked in. And I think our team now, we’re tough... Going after every rebound is something I bring to this team. And I think it’s showing.”

The former two-time All-Star is only playing 15 minutes a night with the Bulls, but he's averaging 8.5 boards, which on a per-36 minute basis is 20.1 — his career-best. 

His pairing with Nikola Vucevic, who owns the 13th-best mark this century, at 10.4 rebounds per night, is paying big dividends. “It’s fun. I think we make each other better each day,” Drummond said. “With his talent and everything we’ve done in our careers to battle against each other, to be on the same team as him now, I get to really appreciate the stuff that he does.”

The Bulls are off to a 2-2 start, including wins over the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. 

Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports