Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA in rebounding after week one at 18.5 a game, five clear of Ivica Zubac

Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA in rebounding after the first week of the 2026-27 season with 18.5 a game, more than five clear of anyone else. The Sacramento Kings center has 37 boards in two games, and he owns the two biggest rebounding nights of the young season.

The margin is the story. Ivica Zubac of the Indiana Pacers is second at 13.0, and the gap between them is wider than the gap between Zubac and the 11th player on the list. Sabonis has pulled down 44 percent of Sacramento’s rebounds so far, 37 of the team’s 84.

He opened with 18 rebounds, 14 points and eight assists on Wednesday, October 21, in a 121-96 loss to the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome (Game Center), and did not miss a shot, going 5 of 5 from the floor. Two nights later at Golden 1 Center he went bigger: 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists on 10 of 13 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers (Game Center). It was the season’s first 19-rebound game, but Portland won 128-120, and the Kings are 0-2.

The NBA’s top 10 rebounders so far

The list counts every player who has appeared in at least two games, through Saturday, October 24, before Sunday’s slate. Every team has played at least twice, and 12 teams have played three times. Players level on rebounds per game share a rank. Total is rebounds over the season so far; High is the best single game.

Behind Sabonis: big men, a rookie and a forward

Chet Holmgren had the season’s third-biggest night, 17 rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 96-84 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Rudy Gobert opened with 15 in Minnesota’s rout in Miami, and Nikola Jokić added 15 with 35 points and 10 assists on Saturday as Denver came back from 23 down to beat New Orleans in overtime.

Cameron Boozer is the only rookie in the top 10. The Memphis forward has 11 and 13 rebounds in his first two games, playing more than 35 minutes a night. Victor Wembanyama sits at 11.0 over three games, and Amen Thompson is the only player on the list with double-digit rebounds in three games, 10, 10 and 11 for the 3-0 Houston Rockets. Denver’s Trevon Brazile makes it in barely 23 minutes a night.

The league’s full numbers are on the league leaders and player stats pages.

What comes next

Sabonis and Boozer meet on Sunday, October 25, when the Memphis Grizzlies visit the Kings at 9:00 p.m. ET (Game Center). Sacramento is still looking for its first win; Memphis is 2-0.