MIES (Switzerland) - We've reached the 50-day mark in the countdown for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. To commemorate the occasion, we highlight the top 50 rebounders in the competition's history dating back to the 1994 event in Toronto, when FIBA began archiving rebounding stats.

 

Divided into two segments of 25 players each, the two-part series starts on Wednesday, July 5 - just 50 days before the start of the 19th edition.

50. Dejan BODIROGA

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: 2/03/1973

Rebounds: 85
Games played: 18
Participations: 2 (1998, 2002)
Medals:🥇(1998, 2020)

Bodiroga was a major part of the Yugoslavia teams that won back-to-back World Cups in 1998, when he was MVP of the event, and 2002, when his country beat a USA team made up entirely of NBA players. The 2.05m (6'9") star's best rebounding haul in 1998 was nine, in Yugoslavia's first game against Russia. He had 10 rebounds in a 2002 World Cup win over Puerto Rico.

50. Kirk PENNEY

SHOOTING GUARD

Birth date: 23/11/1980

Rebounds: 85
Games played: 21
Participations: 3 (2002, 2006, 2010)

Tied with Bodiroga at 50, Penney was a member of the New Zealand Tall Blacks team that reached the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 Semi-Finals. A lights-out shooter, he scored 37 points in a 2010 World Cup game against Lithuania and ended up with the second-highest scoring average at the tournament at 24.7 points per game. Yet, he also rebounded well. In three different games during New Zealand's run to fourth place in Indianapolis, he corralled six boards.

49. Mickael GELABALE

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: 22/05/1983

Rebounds: 86
Games played: 15
Participations: 3 (2006, 2010, 2014)
Medals:🥉(2014)

Gelabale's national team career with France spanned more than a decade, and he played with talent-laden sides at three World Cups. One year after celebrating a FIBA EuroBasket title with France in Ljubljana, the silky smooth Gelabale helped France upset hosts and heavily favored Spain, in Madrid, in the Quarter-Finals of the 2014 World Cup. 

48. Carlos DELFINO

GUARD

Birth date: 29/08/1982

Rebounds: 85
Games played: 18
Participations: 2 (2006, 2010)

Delfino, a member of Argentina's 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winning team, was excellent at the two World Cups that followed. He had eight rebounds to go with his 14 points in a Quarter-Final triumph over Turkey at the 2006 World Cup in Japan.  Spain denied Argentina a spot in the Final with a 75-74 win. At the 2010 World Cup, Delfino was easily one of the best players in international basketball. The fourth leading scorer in the tournament at 20.6 points per game, he ranked third in rebounds for Argentina behind legends Luis Scola and Fabricio Oberto. 

47. Alfonso REYES CABANAS

CENTER

Birth date: 19/11/1973

Rebounds: 89
Games played: 15
Participations: 2 (1998, 2002)

Before there was Felipe Reyes of Spain, there was his big brother, Alfonso, who was a beast on the boards. The seventh leading rebounder at the 1998 World Cup, where he averaged 7.2 per game, his best performance was the 2.02m (6'8") Reyes also played at the 2002 World Cup, where he was a teammate of Felipe.

46. Mika VUKONA

FORWARD

Birth date: 2/03/1973

Rebounds: 90
Games played: 17
Participations: 3 (2006, 2010, 2014)

The 1.98m (6'6") Vukona was a warrior on the glass, leading New Zealand in rebounding at his third World Cup in 2014 at 7.3 per game, and into the Round of 16. Vukona was so active, so ferocious, that he reached double-digit rebounds in the last two games. He pulled down 12 in a 67-65 win over Finland that lifted the Kiwis into the knockout round, and 10 next time out in a narrow defeat to Lithuania.

45. Paulius JANKUNAS

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: 29/04/1984

Rebounds: 91
Games played: 29
Participations: 2 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2019)
Medals:🥉(2010)

A regular in the Lithuania national team for almost a decade and a half, the 2.05m (6'9") Jankunas was a vital contributor in 2010 when Lithuania lost only to eventual champions USA in the Semi-Finals and won the Third-Place Game. His highest totals were eight rebounds in a 70-68 win over Canada in the Group Phase, and seven in a romp over Argentina that lifted the team into the last four.

44. Thomas ABERCROMBIE

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: 5/07/1987

Rebounds: 91
Games played: 17
Participations: 3 (2010, 2014, 2019)

Abercrombie, who recently announced his international retirement from the New Zealand national team, was a high-flier that soared to the hoops for dunks and rebounds. His 6.8 rebounds per game were first overall for the Tall Blacks at the 2010 World Cup, a tournament that saw him grab 11 against Lithuania and 10 against Canada. At the 2019 World Cup, he was second on the team at 5.8 rebounds per game.

43. Marcelo NICOLA

CENTER

Birth date: 12/05/1971

Rebounds: 93
Games played: 17
Participations: 2 (1994, 1998)

One of Argentina's brightest stars in the nineties, Nicola led the team in rebounding at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1994 in Toronto, where three times he pulled down eight boards and once 11, to go with his 25 points, in a win over Angola. He also led that team in scoring at almost 18 points per game.

42. Andrey VORONTSEVICH

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: 2/03/1973

Rebounds: 94
Games played: 14
Participations: 2 (2010, 2019)

Vorontsevich was among the best players on the Russia team coached by David Blatt that reached the Quarter-Finals of the 2010 World Cup in Istanbul. He had 11 rebounds to go with his 18 points in a Round of 16 win over New Zealand, and 14 points and 12 rebounds in a hard-fought Quarter-Final defeat to USA. Nine years later and the 2.07m (6'9") Vorontsevich still had big games for Russia.  In the Second Round of the World Cup in China, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds against Poland and 14 points and 12 rebounds against Venezuela.

41. Jang-Hoon SEO

 

CENTER

Birth date: 03/06/1974

Rebounds: 94
Games played: 13
Participations: 2 (1994, 1998)

The star center for Korea at the 1994 and 1998 FIBA Basketball World Cups in Toronto and Athens, respectively, Seo had good games, and a couple of double-doubles, including a monster 25-point, 14-rebound effort in an 89-81 victory over Egypt. While his rebounding average dipped slightly to 6.8 four years later from 7.5 per game in '94, Seo boosted his scoring from 9.6 points per game in Toronto to 15.2 points per game in Athens.

40. Sergei PANOV

POWER FORWARD

Birth date: 30/06/1970

Rebounds: 94
Games played: 24
Participations: 3 (1994, 1998, 2002)
Medals:🥈(1994, 1998)

Panov never reached the top of the podium at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, yet he was very productive on two Russia teams that made it to Final in 1994 and 1998. His best tournament was in '98, in Athens, one in which he dribbled the length of the floor in the final 10 seconds for a go-ahead, game-winning layup against USA in their Semi-Final clash. Russia won that contest, 66-64, and then suffered heartbreak against Yugoslavia in the title game, 64-62. At that World Cup, Panov had nine rebounds to go with his eight points in a Quarter-Final win over Lithuania. He also had a couple of eight-rebound games.

39. Ricky RUBIO

POINT GUARD

Birth date: 21/10/1990

Rebounds: 96
Games played: 24
Participations: 3 (2010, 2014, 2019)
Medals:🥇(2019)

Rubio rebounds well as a point guard. At the 2019 World Cup in China when he was the MVP of the tournament, he had seven boards in both the Semi-Final triumph over Australia and the Final against Argentina. Four years earlier, Rubio had nine boards in an opening day victory over Iran, while in his first World Cup in 2010 as a 19-year-old, Rubio collected 28 rebounds overall.

38. Dejan TOMASEVIC

CENTER

Birth date: 06/05/1973

Rebounds: 97
Games played: 18
Participations: 3 (1998, 2002)
Medals:🥇(1998, 2002)

On Yugoslavia teams that rebounded well, Tomasevic had his share of big games while helping his country win two World Cups. In 1998, he had 14 rebounds in a World Cup victory over Canada and 11 in a Quarter-Final triumph over Argentina. In the famous Yugoslavia team that won the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis, Tomasevic had nine in a narrow defeat to Spain, and eight in both a victory over Brazil and a Semi-Final triumph over New Zealand. 

37. Joao Jose VIANNA

FORWARD

Birth date: 15/11/1963

Rebounds: 99
Games played: 34
Participations: 4 (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)

Better known as Pipoka, Joao Jose Vianna was equally important for his scoring and his tenacity on the boards. At the 1994 World Cup, he had 12 boards to go with his 17 points in a win over Cuba, and 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-78 defeat to Angola. His 12 points and 11 rebounds accounted for his only double-double at the '98 World Cup, yet he averaged 6.4 boards.

36. Eduardo MINGAS

CENTER

Birth date: 29/01/1979

Rebounds: 108
Games played: 23
Participations: 5 (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2019)

Mingas is one of the all-time greats of African basketball because of his longevity with five World Cup participations, and his talent. A muscular, undersized center at 1.98m (6ft 6in), he had 12 rebounds to accompany his 27 points in a win over New Zealand at the 2006 World Cup that helped Angola advance to the knockout stages. He averaged 7.0 rebounds at that event. Eight years later and he was still productive. Always capable of having a big performance, at the 2014 World Cup he had 14 points and nine rebounds in a defeat to Lithuania, and then 16 points and nine boards in a win over Australia.

35. Mikhail MIKHAYLOV

POWER FORWARD

Birth date: 17/05/1971

Rebounds: 109
Games played: 17
Participations: 2 (1994, 1998)
Medals:🥈(1994, 1998)

Mikhaylov featured at two World Cups and was a menacing presence on the boards at both as Russia reached the Final each time. He averaged 6.6 rebounds at the '94 edition in Toronto, including a 10-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over Argentina in their first game, and 15 points and nine rebounds in a victory over Puerto Rico. At the '98 World Cup, Mikhaylov dominated the glass in a 71-55 triumph over Italy, grabbing 15 rebounds. 

34. Panagiotis FASSOULAS

CENTER

Birth date: 12/05/1963

Rebounds: 110
Games played: 25
Participations: 3 (1990, 1994, 1998)

In the FIBA Hall of Fame, Fassoulas helped Greece shake up the landscape of international hoops by beating powerhouses Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union in the Semi-Finals and Final, respectively, at FIBA EuroBasket 1987. In World Cups, he was a tower of power. Fassoulas opened the '94 World Cup in Toronto with an 18-point, 10-rebound performance in a victory over Germany, and also had 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points in a Third-Place Game defeat to Croatia. On home soil at the '98 World Cup, Fassoulas had 11 rebounds in a win over Canada and 10 in a Third-Place Game defeat to USA.

33. Andray BLATCHE

CENTER

Birth date: 22/08/1986

Rebounds: 111
Games played: 10
Participations: 2 (2014, 2019)

A huge contributor to the Philippines at the last two FIBA Basketball World Cups, Blatche was a walking double-double in points and rebounds. In five games at the 2104 World Cup in Spain, he averaged 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds. At the 2019 World Cup, the 2.10m (6'11") center had 10 or more rebounds in three of Gilas' five games. 

32. Ruben WOLKOWISKY

CENTER

Birth date: 20/09/1973

Rebounds: 111
Games played: 34
Participations: 4 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Medals:🥈(2002)

A member of Argentina teams at four FIBA Basketball World Cups, Wolkowisky raised eyebrows with a nine-rebound effort in Argentina's 87-80 victory over the USA at the 2002 World Cup. He had 40 rebounds in nine games, which was third on an Argentina team that lost in the Final to Yugoslavia. Two years later he helped Argentina beat the USA again, this time in the Semi-Finals at the Olympics, and his team went on to capture the gold medal.

31. Ioannis BOUROUSIS

CENTER

Birth date: 17/11/1983

Rebounds: 112
Games played: 17
Participations: 3 (2010, 2014, 2019)

Two years of glory for Greece coincided with the introduction of Bourousis to the national team, who was a member of the 2005 EuroBasket winning team but not the side that upset the USA, 101-95, at the 2006 World Cup. At the 2010 World Cup, the 2.15m (7'1") center led the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game. His best World Cup was in 2014, however, when Bourousis yanked down 9.2 rebounds a game and had 10 against both the Philippines and Croatia, and 15 in the Round of 16 win over Argentina!

30. Florent PIETRUS

CENTER

Birth date: 19/01/1981

Rebounds: 112
Games played: 22
Participations: 3 (2006, 2010, 2014)
Medals:🥉(2014)

A constant presence in France's national team, from 2001 through the 2016 Olympics, Pietrus featured at three World Cups and was best known for his relentless approach on the boards and willingness to dive on the floor for loose balls. In his first World Cup in 2006, Pietrus had nine rebounds to go with his 12 points as France defeated Turkey to clinch fifth place. He was the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 per game in Japan.

29. Jorge GARBAJOSA

CENTER

Birth date: 19/12/1977

Rebounds: 112
Games played: 27
Participations: 3 (2002, 2006, 2010)
Medals:🥇(2006)

Garbajosa's first double-digit rebound effort at a FIBA Basketball World Cup was against the USA in Spain's last game of the event, when he grabbed 12 boards. His second, and more important double-digit rebound contribution, came in the 2006 Final, in Japan, against Greece. With Spain having lost Pau Gasol to injury in the Semi-Final, Garbajosa had 10 rebounds to go with his 20 points to lead his country to its first World Cup triumph.

28. Ademola OKULAJA

FORWARD

Birth date: 10/07/1975

Rebounds: 113
Games played: 18
Participations: 3 (2002, 2006)
Medals:🥉(2002)

On some teams, Okulaja might have been the leading rebounder but he was nevertheless a very impressive second to Dirk Nowitzki on Germany's 2002, and 2006 World Cup teams, averaging six and 6.6, respectively. In 2006, the Lagos-born Okulaja had eight rebounds to go with his 19.0 points against Nigeria to help Germany reach the Quarter-Finals, where they lost to the USA. Okulaja played well against the Americans and came up a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points.

27. Felipe REYES

CENTER

Birth date: 16/03/1980

Rebounds: 113
Games played: 23
Participations: 4 (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Medals:🥇(2006)

One of the great rebounders in Spanish basketball history, Reyes was a workhorse who competed for every ball on the boards. An important member of the Spain side that won the 2006 World Cup, Reyes had his best numbers at FIBA's flagship event eight years later in Turkey when he averaged 5.9 rebounds per game and pulled down 53 overall.

26. Jerome MINCY

CENTER

Birth date: 10/10/1964

Rebounds: 115
Games played: 36
Participations: 5 (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)

If you think you've seen Mincy's name on these pages before, you have. He is No. 19 on the top 100 scorers list in World Cup history. Mincy could also rebound, something he did with plenty of zeal. He began the 1994 World Cup with a 12-point, 11-rebound performance and ended up averaging 7.6 boards per contest as the Boricuas finished sixth. A 1.98m forward, Mincy's five World Cup participations are proof of his unyielding commitment to Puerto Rico's national team.

If you liked this editorial piece, please make sure to check the FIBA Basketball World Cup Top 100 scorers here.

FIBA