Who comes to mind when you think of the best point guards in NBA history? Is it Magic Johnson? Is it Chris Paul? How about Steve Nash?
Today we’ll look at the five best point guards of all time. We’ll look at their stats, achievements, and overall impact on the game. By looking at these stats and achievements, we can understand how good these players were at their position.
5. Chris Paul
Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in NBA history. He has been selected to ten All-Star games and won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Paul was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005 and the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2008. He was also named to the All-NBA Team three times and made second-team All-NBA once.
Paul played college basketball at Wake Forest University from 2002 to 2004, where he was twice named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and led the Demon Deacons to their first NCAA tournament victory since 1962. He was selected fourth overall by New Orleans Hornets in 2004 and was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in 2008, with averages of 19 points and nine assists per game.
Paul is the only player to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award as a point guard. His 2008-09 season was one for the ages: 22.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from three-point range, plus 9.8 assists per game and two steals per game (with very few turnovers).
The Clippers went 56-26 that year, finishing with the third seed in their conference and then going on a memorable run through the playoffs before falling short against the Lakers in Game 7 of their first-round series.
4. Jerry West
Jerry West is the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP on a losing team. He’s also a Hall of Famer and has been inducted into the basketball hall of fame twice: once as a player and once as a coach.
West was an outstanding scorer and shooter, but his passing ability made him special. In his 14-year career with the Lakers, he averaged 27 points per game while dishing out over six assists.
His ball-handling skills were so good that he could consistently beat defenders one-on-one and get to the basket. He led the league in free throw attempts four times during his career, which shows his effectiveness at getting to the line.
West’s career stats are incredible: 27 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, and 5.8 rebounds per game over 14 seasons. All as a point guard—to go along with a +5.6 Relative True Shooting Percentage (which measures how efficiently a player scores on all field goal attempts weighted by three-point attempts).
He was selected as an All-Star 13 times during his career and won two championships with the Lakers in 1971 and 1972. His best season came in 1969–70, when he averaged 27 points per game while playing just over 30 minutes per game.
3. Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was one of the most dominant guards ever to play the game. He is second in points per game in NBA history with 30.1, averaging 11.4 assists during his career. His 1961-62 season with the Cincinnati Royals saw him average a triple-double: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game!
After just ten seasons, Robertson’s career was cut short by injury, but he still managed to make an impact on the sport even after his playing days were over by becoming a coach and later a broadcaster for ABC Sports. He has also been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice—once as a player and once as a coach.
Robertson led the league in assists for seven consecutive seasons and averaged a triple-double over his career—meaning that he averaged double digits in points, rebounds, and assists per game—something that has only been done by one other player since.
In 1967, Oscar Robertson became one of the first players to sign a $1 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored more than 30 points per game over his career with that team until he retired in 1974.
2. Steph Curry
Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors point guard, and 2-time MVP, are among the most electrifying players in the history of the NBA. He is also one of the greatest shooters in basketball history, having made 1,873 career three-pointers.
Curry’s shooting prowess has been on display for years, but his first season with the Warriors made him a household name worldwide. In 2015-2016, he became the first player to make 400 threes in a single season and led the league in points per game (30.1) and three-point field goals made (402). His historic season earned him unanimous MVP honors for the second time in his career (the other being in 2014-2015).
In addition to being an elite shooter and passer, Curry is one of the best defensive point guards in recent memory. He led all guards in defensive win shares during his first season with Golden State (2014-2015) and has placed among them again.
When you combine his offensive production with his defensive contributions and leadership qualities, Stephen Curry is undoubtedly one of the greatest point guards of all time.
1. Magic Johnson
Many point guards have gone in the NBA, but Magic Johnson is still considered one of the best.
Magic Johnson may not be the all-time leader in any single category, but he was consistently great across the board. He led the league in assists per game eight times and made the All-NBA First Team nine times. He also won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, including two back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988.
Johnson’s best season came in 1984-85 when he averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game for a total of +7.3 relative true shooting percentage (RTS). He also finished that season with an MVP award and a Defensive Player of the Year award—making him one of only four to win both awards in their careers (along with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James).
In addition to being one of the greatest point guards ever to play basketball, Magic Johnson was also known for his infectious personality and charisma off the court—which helped make him one of the most beloved athletes ever.
In conclusion, we have presented a list of the five best point guards in NBA history. While each has a unique style and set of skills, they all share one thing in common: their ability to make plays for their teammates, score points and lead their team to victory.
