Abdul-Jabbar maintained a dominant presence on defense. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team eleven times.[1] He frustrated opponents with his superior shot-blocking ability and denied an average of 2.6 shots a game. He was not an aggressive rebounder, relying more on his size as a 7-footer instead of positioning.[147][148] After the pounding he endured early in his career, his rebounding average fell to between six or eight a game in his latter years.[1] As a teammate, Abdul-Jabbar exuded natural leadership and was affectionately called "Cap",[4] or "Captain", by his colleagues.[149] He had an even temperament, which Riley said made him coachable.[150]