The 5 Greatest NBA Point Guards of All Time
The Greatest Point Guards in the History of the NBA
It’s hard to make a list of the greatest point guards of all time, as there are so many amazing players who have made this game the way it is.
Earvin ‘ Magic’ Johnson - one of the greatest players, and point guards, of all time.
Amongst the greatest NBA players of all time, are these 5 that played the point guard position. Play-makers, magicians and guys with the ball in their hands the most.
In this post, we will focus on the stats and all the other things that separate the best point guards from the rest of the NBA pack.
5. Jason Kidd
One of the most intelligent players to ever step on the court in the National Basketball Association, Jason Kidd is real magic on the court.
He is a basketball genius with the ball and the perfect definition of a playmaker. This man played an important role in improving the game of all the players around him.
Some of Kidd’s assists are still circulating on the Internet, and he is discussed as a master point guard. In addition to an incredible sense of assistance, Jason Kidd was also considered a great defender and a great jumper, and he is known as one of the best in his position.
At the beginning of his career, he had a slightly lower percentage of shots, but he managed to raise that segment of the game to a much higher level.
Due to this, he reached the top 10 list of players with the most hit threes in history. Kidd started his career in Dallas in 1994 where he played 3 seasons, but he never managed to reach the playoff phase.
Because of this, he moved to the Phoenix where the first round of the playoffs was the ceiling for the Suns.
Kidd also spent the best days of his career with the New Jersey Nets. He led the Nets to two grand finals in 2002 and 2003 but he was defeated both times. The first time was by the powerful LA Lakers, and the second was by the San Antonio Spurs.
What he failed to accomplish with the Nets, Kidd achieved a few years later in Dallas, and he became the 2011 NBA champion with this team.
At 38 years old, Kidd played a significant role in winning the title, and he ended his career in 2013 at the Knicks.
Jason Kidd is a world-renowned NBA champion, as well as 10 times All-Star, 5 times in the top five of the league, 4 times in the best defensive five, 5 times leader in assists.
In his career, Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 40% shots from the game, 35% for 3 and 79% from the penalty line.
4. Oscar Robertson
Place number 4 is reserved for the triple-double machine from Cincinnati, Oscar Robertson.
The player with the most triple-double performances in history and one of only two players (along with Russell Westbrook) to record a triple-double on average in one season, Robertson did everything on the court, from scoring to assisting.
Robertson spent most of his career in the Cincinnati Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, and he won the 1964 MVP award.
Because Robertson played in the era of the powerful Boston Celtics, he didn’t make any significant team successes in Cincinnati, and after 10 years he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Together with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, he led Milwaukee to the grand final, and to the only title in the history of the franchise.
He has been an All-Star 12 times in his career, 3 times MVP of All-Star games, 9 times in the top five in the league and 6 times leader in assists.
In his career, Robertson averaged 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds.
3. John Stockton
The basketball maestro, John Stockton brought the pick and roll game to perfection.
Together with Karl Malone, he was one of the best tandems in the history of basketball.
An excellent shooter and defender, Stockton is the player with by far the most assists and stolen balls in NBA league history. He spent 19 seasons in Utah and led his team to the playoffs for 19 years.
He played in the NBA Finals twice, but he was defeated by Michael Jordan and the Bulls both times.
He was All-Star 10 times in his career, MVP of All-Star games, 2 times in the top five of the league, 6 times in the second-best. Stockton is a member of the Hall of Fame and number 12 is retired to Utah Jazz.
In his career, John Stockton averaged 13.2 points, 10.5 assists, 2.2 stolen balls, 51% shots from the game, 38.4% for 3 points and 82.6% from the penalty line. John Stockton is widely considered to be one of the best passers of all time.
2. Isiah Thomas
A member of the famous ‘Detroit Bad Boys’, Isiah Thomas came from humble roots, but he soon became a Detroit Pistons legend and one of the best playmakers in the history of basketball.
He is an example of how anything can be achieved in life through hard work and faith in yourself.
During the 7th game of the grand NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers, Isiah Thomas experienced ankle distortion.
Despite this, he continued to play through the pain. He set a playoff record with 25 points in the quarter, and Isiah Thomas showed that he was a born winner and champion- no obstacle could prevent him from achieving his goal.
Isiah Thomas led the Pistons to two consecutive rings, and he was one of the few to beat Michael Jordan in the best days of his career. This was when he eliminated the Bulls in the playoffs 3 times in a row, as part of the Pistons.
He played 13 seasons for the Pistons, of which 12 times he was All-Star. He was also 2 times MVP of the All-Star Game and MVP of the finals in 1990.
In his career, Thomas averaged 19.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 45% shots from the game and 30% for 3.76% from the penalty line.
1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is 206 cm tall and one of the most complete players of all time! His skill can hardly be described in words.
His additions are world-renowned, and these were no ordinary passes. The ball splashed like a whip on the field and ended up exactly where he wanted it to go.
Magic is a player who did everything he could on the field. He played alongside players without needing to be the main man and did his part to dunk the ball or score whenever he could.
Magic could easily play all positions on the field. He proved that when he played as a rookie in the absence of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, taking part in the 6th game of the NBA Finals in the center position.
During the game, he played in several different positions.
He tried his best, and he finished the game with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 stolen balls. The LA Lakers won and Magic became the first and only player to be named the MVP of the finals in his rookie season.
In November 1991, Magic announced that he was living with HIV, which is why he had to end his playing career. In 1996, he decided to return to basketball. At the age of 37, he averaged 14.6 points and then retired as an all-time LA Lakers great,
In his career, he was a champion 5 times, 3 times MVP, 3 times MVP finals, 12 times All-Star, 2 times MVP All-Star games, 9 times in the top five of the league, 4 times leader in assists, 2 times leader in steals and he is a member of the Hall of Fame.
HMagic also averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds with 52% shots from the game, 30% for 3 points and 85% from the free-throw line.
Hear some incredible quotes from Magic in our list of over 100 basketball quotes.
Read more top lists on our NBA blog
