NBA players with the most rebounds in a single season: Who holds the all-time mark?

Rebounds have long been one of the National Basketball Association’s clearest indicators of control inside the paint, often reflecting pace, physicality, roster construction and the strategic priorities of each era.

Throughout the league’s history, certain seasons produced rebounding totals that clearly separated themselves from the rest, shaped by faster tempos, heavier minutes and interior dominance that defined entire teams.

Those standout campaigns established an all-time single-season benchmark, a record born from a very different NBA and one that still looms large in historical comparisons.

Who holds the record for most rebounds in one NBA season?

The all-time NBA record for most rebounds in a single season belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who pulled down 2,149 rebounds for the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1960-61 season. This mark stands as the highest total ever recorded in a single regular season in NBA history.

Wilt Chamberlain (Source: NBA)

His performance that year also translated to an eye-popping average of 27.2 rebounds per game, another historic benchmark that has proven exceptionally hard to approach in any modern era context.

When he was playing in the early 1960s, the pace of NBA games was significantly faster than it is today, meaning more shot attempts and more opportunities for rebounds. The league itself had only begun tracking rebounds officially in the 1950-51 season, making him among the earliest statistical trailblazers in this category.

In that 1960-61 campaign, he not only led the league — he redefined what dominance on the boards looked like. His sheer size, athleticism and positioning enabled him to out-rebound almost every opponent night after night, crafting totals that modern stars rarely flirt with.

Even the NBA’s best rebounders in recent seasons generally total well under 1,500 rebounds in a full season, illustrating just how distant his benchmark remains. Part of his legendary status comes not just from the season total, but from his overall rebounding prowess throughout his career.