<P> The balance of power shifted to the Western Conference, and the NBA was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won titles in 2000,' 01,' 02,' 09, and' 10, and the San Antonio Spurs, who won in' 99,' 03,' 05,' 07 and' 14 . The Lakers hired former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, and Shaquille O'Neal thrived in Jackson's triangle offense . The San Antonio Spurs were initially led by the' Twin Towers' tandem of center David Robinson and power forward Tim Duncan . With the arrival of Duncan, the veteran Robinson modified his game by playing primarily in the high post to accommodate Duncan's strengths as a low - post scorer and defender . </P> <P> In the 1990s, an increasing number of smaller forwards, most notably Dennis Rodman and Charles Barkley, excelled at the traditional Center functions of rebounding, shot - blocking and low - post defense, anticipating a trend towards relying on shorter and quicker post players that has continued into the 2000s, as exemplified by perennial Defensive Players of the Year Ben Wallace and Ron Artest . In the fast break oriented style of offense employed by a growing number of teams, the traditional role of the Center is diminished, if not done away with altogether . Many talented big men have elected to play the more versatile power forward position, giving them more room to run the floor and play outside the paint . The best example of this is Kevin Garnett, a 7 - footer (2.13 m and above) who listed his height as 6'11" (2.10 m) in order to avoid playing Center . Under the influence of European basketball, the offensive role of big men has been redefined to include more emphasis on perimeter play, as exemplified by 3 - point shooting big men like Dirk Nowitzki, Mehmet Okur, Andrea Bargnani and Channing Frye...The Phoenix Suns also drafted Amar'e Stoudemire to support point guard Steve Nash during 2002--2010, but in the Knicks he also starts as a Power Forward instead of a Center . </P> <P> The 7'6" (2.29 m) Yao Ming was drafted by the Houston Rockets with tremendous hype in 2002; possessing unprecedented shooting touch and coordination for a player of his height, many experts predicted he would revolutionize basketball . Yao proved to be a highly efficient rebounder and scorer, particularly with his mid-range jump shot, and showed the potential to be an elite defender . However, he would retire in 2011 due to a string of foot injuries that caused him to miss all but five games in his final two NBA seasons . Another heralded young prospect, Dwight Howard of the Washington Wizards, has used his exceptional vertical leap to become one of the top rebounders in the NBA, while his spectacular slam dunks have made him a staple of highlight reels . </P> <P> The low - post functions of the center position continued to dwindle in the 2010s as the NBA shifted into a more perimeter - oriented style of play . While there are still a few centers that play a more traditional style, some centers begin to adapt to the outside game . </P>

Average height for a center in the nba