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Who are the top point guards in NBA history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
Note: Updated in 2022.
10. Chris Paul: the NBA’s active leader in both assists and steals, Paul is a force on both ends of the floor, having led the league in assists 5x and steals 6x, and with a dozen All-Star and nine All-Defensive selections to his name.
9. Steve Nash: the engine of the Phoenix Suns’ high-octane offense of the 2000s, Nash led the NBA in assists 5x and is only the ninth player in history to win back-to-back MVP awards; in addition, he was also a highly efficient shooter, 4x achieving the rare 50-40-90 mark.
8. Jason Kidd: a quintessential “big” point guard who was among the NBA’s elite for more than a decade, Kidd was a dominant all-around player known for both his passing prowess (5x assists leader) and suffocating defensive presence (9x All-Defensive).
7. Bob Cousy: one of the first great floor generals in NBA history, Cousy was the first point guard to win MVP and led the league in assists 8x while leading the Boston Celtics to six championships.
6. Jerry West: immortalized as the silhouette of the NBA’s logo, West was an All-Star every year of his illustrious career with the Lakers (14x) and remains the only player in league history to win Finals MVP in a losing effort.
5. John Stockton: the NBA’s all-time assists and steals leader, Stockton was a model of consistency – he played all 82 games 16x in his career and led the league in assists for nine straight years while perfecting the pick-and-roll with teammate Karl Malone, though fell just short of an NBA title in the Michael Jordan era.
4. Isiah Thomas: a 12x All-Star and the leader of the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons teams of the 1980s, Thomas guided the Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles in-between the Lakers and Bulls dynasties, and was the best point guard of the decade outside of Magic Johnson.
3. Oscar Robertson: the first player to average a triple-double over a full season, Robertson was a dynamic playmaker who led the league in assists 6x and actually averaged a triple-double over his first five NBA seasons; he remains the all-time leader currently with 181 career triple-doubles.
2. Steph Curry: the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, Curry is a 2x MVP who has not only been at the vanguard of a shooting paradigm shift, but has also helped guide the Golden State Warriors to four titles and the best regular season record in league history (73-9).
1. Magic Johnson: a 6’9” tour de force who revolutionized the point guard position and was the maestro of the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers, Magic could do it all on the court – a 3x MVP and 5x NBA champion (3x Finals MVP), he averaged double-digit assists for his career (4x assists leader) and also racked up 138 career triple-doubles.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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