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Ranking the best point guards in NBA history might be a little tricky, as the top positions will usually be crowded with some well-known names. A point guard can have a positive impact on his team in many different ways, and this list will be made up of players with totally diverse approaches to the game.
Given how big the point guard talent pool in NBA history is, this kind of list can be unfair on many historic players that will not appear in it. But in this list, we attempt to rank the top 10 point guards in the history of the league.
NBA Rankings: Top 10 point guards in the history of the league
A great point guard might not have tremendous stats, but if his leadership and control of the team's offence are off the charts, he should find a place in this top 10.
Without further ado, let us take a look at our NBA Ranking of the top 10 point guards in the history of the league.
#10 Tony Parker
A four-time NBA champion, Tony Parker might have played with some unbelievable superstars like Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Manu Ginóbili. Still, he earned his place with that team and was an essential piece in each of the four titles he won with the San Antonio Spurs.
When we talk about a player without flashy numbers but with great leadership and feel of what his team needs on the court, Tony Parker fits the bill perfectly.
In the NBA Playoffs, Parker was a force to be reckoned with, and he even earned the Finals MVP honour in 2007 when the Spurs swept LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
Parker was a six-time NBA All-Star who averaged 15.5 points and six rebounds per game on 49 percent shooting in his regular-season career. In the Playoffs, the Frenchman was great for the Spurs, controlling the offence and averaging 18 points per game.
Parker was selected four times to the All-NBA teams, although he and the Spurs were not in love with the regular season.
#9 Chris Paul
To see the "Point God' Chris Paul ninth on this list can be a little harsh for some of his fans and basketball fans in general, but there is no shame in being ranked as the ninth-best point guard in NBA history.
CP3 is the perfect point guard when you need your offence to be completely in control and to take advantage of every chance given by the opposing defence.
Paul's incredible court vision has earned him four assists titles in his career, and he is also an opportunistic defender who has led the league in steals six times.
A pass-first player, Paul is also an efficient scorer, averaging 18.5 points per game in his career on 47 percent shooting, 37 percent from three, and 87 percent from the FT line. His career average of 9.5 assists ranks fourth all-time in NBA history. Paul has been selected nine times to the All-NBA teams and the NBA's All-Defensive teams.
Though his durability has probably kept him from winning an NBA championship, Paul is a tremendous leader and is deserving of silverware.
#8 Russell Westbrook
His basketball IQ has been under scrutiny for several years, but Russell Westbrook's intensity and competitiveness are traits that any NBA coach would want on their team.
We might go on and on about Westbrook's athleticism and his attitude on the court, but his numbers are also impressive. A one-time MVP, he will surely enter the basketball Hall of Fame.
His greatest feat was averaging a triple-double for three straight seasons, an unprecedented stat in NBA history (Oscar Robertson reigned for decades as the only player to average a triple-double in a season).
A 23-point-per-game career scorer, Westbrook's 8.3 assists per game rank 11th in NBA history. He is the only player in history to have led the league twice in points and assists.
#7 Steve Nash
Though his two MVPs might look exaggerated for many, Steve Nash was a tremendous passer who knew how to lead his offence with his passing and his efficient shooting.
Nash led the NBA five times in assists and twice in FT percentage. His 8.4 career assist average ranks ninth in NBA history, and his career FT percentage (90.5 percent) trails only Steph Curry's in NBA history.
Though Nash did not push his teams to the NBA Finals, he wasn't always favoured to do so. Still, he was a great point guard, as he knew how to impact the game like few others.
#6 John Stockton
Controlling your offence and the pace of an NBA game is a trait reserved for few players, and John Stockton was one of those. Universally celebrated for his passing, Stockton was also a 50/38/83 shooter from the field, the three-point line, and the FT line respectively.
The all-time leader in total assists (15,806) and second in assists per game (10.5), Stockton's career only lacked an NBA title. But he was the perfect point guard, and he surely sacrificed some of his game to help his team.
Stockton was a 10-time All-Star, and led the league nine times in assists (in a row) with an average of 13 assists per game during that stretch. He was also a great defender and was named five times to the NBA's All-Defensive teams.
#5 Jerry West
There will always be debate about Jerry West's position, but he was simply a guard that could do a lot (even become the NBA's logo).
West was a prolific scorer as he averaged 27 points per game in his career (fifth in NBA history), and also a solid passer as his seven assists per game suggest. He led the league in points in the 1969-70 season and in assists two years later.
He was an All-Star in each of his 14 NBA seasons and won one title with the LA LAakers in 1972. Of course, West's Finals losses are well remembered by many, but he was incredible in the Playoffs, despite his eight losses in the NBA's biggest stage.
West averaged 29.1 points per game on 47 percent shooting in 153 NBA Playoff games (third all-time in PPG).
#4 Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was a magnificent point guard who was arguably the greatest ever at the position before the 1980s came along.
Just in his first season, Robertson was a 30-point-per-game scorer and led the league in assists with 9.7, while also grabbing 10.1 rebounds. His next season was full of history, as he became the first player to average a triple-double for the entire season (with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists). His place as the only player to do so was safe until Russell Westbrook did it in the 2016-17 season and the following two seasons.
Robertson averaged a 30-10-10 triple-double if we take only his first five years.
He ranks third in terms of assists per game in his career with 9.5, and he also averaged 25 points per game. After he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the end of his career, the one-time MVP won his only NBA title in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Robertson is the all-time leader in triple-doubles, with 181.
#3 Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas is most remembered for being Michael Jordan's main rival during the latter's early career in the NBA Playoffs, but he was much more than that.
How many players can say that their team defeated Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in the NBA Playoffs? Thomas and his 'Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons certainly can.
Thomas averaged 19 points and 9 assists per game in his NBA career, with his numbers maintaining that level in the playoffs.
A two-time NBA champion, Thomas won Finals MVP honours in 1990. He averaged 28 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, while also shooting 54 percent from the field and making 11 of his 16 attempts from three in five games.
#2 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is one of the most revolutionary players in the history of NBA basketball, as his iconic shots from half-court have become a norm for many current players in the league.
A two-time regular-season MVP and a three-time NBA champion, Curry is an unbelievable player in terms of controlling the pace of the game. Of course, he is arguably the greatest shooter ever, and his impact on the league has been gigantic.
Curry has been heavily criticised for his play in the NBA Playoffs, especially when the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. Still, he has certainly answered many questions in the Playoffs and was deserving of the Finals MVP award in 2015. The Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he averaged 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.
Curry would be first in this list if his trophy cabinet had at least a couple of Finals MVPs.
#1 Magic Johnson
A monster at finding his teammates and involving every member of the team in the offense, Magic Johnson has to be number one on this list. His fantastic winning mentality, leadership, and being the greatest passer ever make him #1, because he represents exactly what is expected from a point guard.
The all-time leader in assists per game (11.1), Johnson also won three regular-season MVPs and three Finals MVPs, to go along with his five NBA rings. At a 6'9" height, Johnson was also a triple-double machine and leads the all-time NBA playoff table with 30.
He led the league four times in assists and twice in steals. Johnson is the only rookie to have won NBA Finals MVP (1980) and the youngest ever to do it (20 years old).
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