NBA News: Ex-Bucks Center Names Three Legendary Centers Hardest To Guard In 80s

KEY POINTS

Paul Mokeski shares how he was able to guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in the 80s
Mokeski says Moses Malone and Kevin McHale were tough to defend because of their unpredictability
Mokeski hails David Robinson as one of the few centers who can use their quickness on the floor at the time

The NBA in the 1980s saw a lot of big men who had their way.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will undoubtedly be one of them, probably someone who would be the hardest to guard because of his patented skyhook shot.

One player who got the chance to guard Abdul-Jabbar is Paul Mokeski, who had stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors.

Mokeski shared his thoughts on the Sports For All PH podcast. revealing the players whom he had the toughest time to defend.

Surprisingly, the six-time NBA champion was on Mokeski's list.

Moses Malone, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Getty Images | Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage

“The players that were really difficult to guard, it was Moses Malone and Kevin McHale. And the reason for that is, well, were Moses Malone and Kevin McHale better scorers than Kareem? No. Not at all, but I know what Kareem wanted to do. I never knew what Kevin McHale or Moses Malone wanted to do. They did crazy stuff that you can’t predict. And they could do multiple moves so you can’t just stick on one move,” Mokeski explained.

Regardless, the 62-year-old former player-turned-coach shared how he was able to check Abdul-Jabbar.

According to Mokeski, it was just that he had a better chance of foiling the offensive moves of the six-time NBA Most Valuable Player.

Kevin McHale #32 of the Boston Celtics battles for position with Tom Chambers #24 of the Phoenix Suns Getty Images | Focus on Sport

“So how do you guard Kareem? If I let him get to his hook, you can just forget about it. So I stayed on his left side so he could not turn because I would be there and I’d make him go to his right shoulder. Now, he did get to his right shoulder and dunked it sometimes but also, he went on his right shoulder and dribbled it off his foot or traveled or missed it. So at that point, I got a 50-50 shot,” Mokeski pointed out.

Aside from Abdul-Jabbar, Malone and McHale, Mokeski also had his share of guarding the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

Of the two, he pointed out how he also had difficulty guarding “The Admiral” because of his quickness and because he was one of the rare centers who played left-handed.

“When you get a post-player that is left-handed? It’s difficult for guys like me. Very few post players are left-handed… With him, he does things the other way. So in your brain, you have to think about that. He was [also] one of the first players to use his quickness against bigger post guys,” the former second-round pick shared.