Andre Drummond makes outlandish claims: Is he right, or delusional?

Circulating the internet is a recent interview that former Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond gave with Marcus Bagley on ‘The Comfortable Pod’.

The interview itself is a view into the career of Andre Drummond, a great story surrounding one of the best college walk-ons ever, even if his becoming a walk-on was a technicality. What has people talking, however, is one of the outlandish claims Drummond had during.

Detroit Pistons: Is Andre Drummond right?

Andre Drummond provided a breakdown of his career arc during the interview, with the headline that he believes he is the best rebounder of all time, along with being a Hall of Famer.

"“I used to play 40-plus minutes. I was a star — All-Star, All-NBA, I’ve done it. Hall of Fame candidate, best rebounder ever … I’m the best ever. I’ve done great in my career. I think I have a chance to be a Hall of Fame player due to what I’ve done in my career. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m in the top 20 for being in the Hall of Fame, so I have a great chance.”"

While this take may seem absurd at first glance, Drummond is not wrong, statistically. The NBA & ABA career leaders and records for total rebound pct actually does belong to Drummond. With a percentage of 24.85, Andre edges out the likes of Dennis Rodman (2nd with 23.44%), Rudy Gobert (4th with 21.66%) and Dwight Howard (7th with 21.08%). Grabbing 24.85% of all available rebounds is incredible, especially when compared to others ranked behind Drummond. It should be noted, however, that total rebound percentages were only tracked back to the 1970’s, meaning some all-time greats like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain are not able to be compared.

Where Andre begins to lose his case is when he confidently states his likelihood of making the Hall of Fame. Currently a 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA and 4x Rebounding Champ, Drummond has had a good career, especially for a former walk-on (technicality, I know). But good does not make the Hall of Fame. In fact, Drummond’s odds at making the HoF current reside at 1.9%. It’s possible that if he would have continued the career he began with in Detroit Drummond might have had a shot, but now averaging just 13 minutes per game, those days are likely behind the former UCONN big man.

Drummond, who most recently played a reserve role for the underwhelming Chicago Bulls last season, continues this introspective circuit tour he is on. Just last month, Drummond was recorded being honest and real with campers, stating how he went from $100 million with a bad attitude to a league minimum. This speech came a few months after taking a one-game mental health hiatus last season, where he said he needed to work on himself and some things that he had been neglecting. Hopefully, his message is taken to heart by young players looking to make it at the next level, but as it relates to the Hall of Fame, Drummond still has plenty of work to do and not very much time.