Point guards do it all. They have to be able to shoot, be the leaders of their teams, and get their teammates involved. If you are a basketball fan, you've probably contemplated who the best point guards ever are. A lot has changed in the point guard landscape over the last decade. Here is ClutchPoints' ranking of the greatest point guards in NBA history.
25. Dennis Johnson
Stats: 14.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Accolades: 1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team, 9x All-Defensive Team
Championships: 3
Dennis Johnson was the glue that made the Boston Celtics dynasty run in their later years. He won two championships with Larry Bird and company. However, Johnson was no product of having stars around him. He proved in his younger days that he could win as a top option, evident by his Finals MVP for the Seattle Supersonics. Johnson is one of the best defensive point guards ever to play the game.
24. Deron Williams
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 8.1 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Accolades: 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team
Championships: 0
Deron Williams was once regarded as the best point guard in the league at the same time that Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Rajon Rondo were all in their primes. While he never found the team success and his prime was short, Williams' peak was impressive enough to land him on this list. Williams was uber-versatile and an offensive engine in his days with the Utah Jazz.
23. Rajon Rondo
Stats: 9.8 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Accolades: 4x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team, 4x All-Defensive Team, 3x assists leader, 1x steals leader
Championships: 2
Rajon Rondo didn't need to put up high-scoring outputs to help his team win. One of the best passers the game has ever seen, Rondo was constantly displaying highlight-reel dishes. Rondo was also a superb defensive presence. Rondo was the maestro for a successful Boston Celtics squad that won a championship. Although he became a journeyman in the back half of his career, it still culminated in a second championship in his first stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's one of the greatest point guards ever.
22. Chauncey Billups
Stats: 15.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Accolades: 2004 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team, 2x All-Defensive Team
Championships: 1
Mr. Big Shot led the Detroit Pistons to a championship over the Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers in what is regarded as arguably the most improbable championship ever. While he was somewhat of a late bloomer, Billups developed into one of the game's best leaders.
21. Mark Price
Stats: 15.2. PPG, 6.7 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Accolades: 4x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team
Championships: 0
Price was the force that drove the '90s Cleveland Cavaliers. One of the best guards from his era, Price, unfortunately, always had Michael Jordan in front of him in the Eastern Conference. Price was a great shooter and very efficient, even becoming a member of the 50-40-90 club in 1989.
20. Lenny Wilkens
Stats: 16.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Accolades: 9x All-Star, 1x assists leader
Championships: 0
Wilkens was dominant at all levels of basketball; collegiately, as a coach, and especially as a player. Wilkens was a pioneer at the point guard position and was one of the first great floor generals.
19. Kevin Johnson
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 9.1 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 APG
Accolades: 3x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team, 1989 Most Improved Player
Championships: 0
Johnson was an extremely talented scorer who also put up lofty assist numbers. Johnson averaged over 10 assists for four consecutive seasons and also helped the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993, the Finals series that came most down to the wire in the Bulls' first attempt at a three-peat.
18. Derrick Rose
Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG
Accolades: 2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team, 2009 Rookie of the Year
Championships: 0
Derrick Rose is one of the biggest what-if stories in NBA history. He is the youngest player to ever win MVP, winning the game's highest honor at only 22 years old. Rose looked like the future of the league, but knee injuries plagued him after his MVP season. Even with injuries, Rose has still managed to put together a long, 14-year career. In his prime, Rose was one of the most explosive and athletic players of all time and is definitely one of the greatest point guards ever.
17. Dave Bing
Stats: 20.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Accolades: 7x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team, 1967 Rookie of the Year, 1x scoring leader
Championships: 0
Dave Bing was one of the first point guards to have a score-first mindset. He led the league with 27.1 points per game in only his second season in the league.
16. Tony Parker
Stats: 15.5 PPG, 5.6 APG, 2.7 RPG, 0.8 SPG
Accolades: 2007 Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team
Championships: 4
Tony Parker was a key piece for one of the longest-reigning dynasties in league history, the San Antonio Spurs. Parker was elusive and fast, and he always elevated his game in the playoffs. Parker was the embodiment of consistency throughout his long, 18-year career.
15. Tiny Archibald
Stats: 18.8 PPG, 7.4 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG
Accolades: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team, 1x scoring leader, 1x assists leader
Championships: 1
Nate “Tiny” Archibald is the only player in league history to lead the league in both points per game and assists per game in the same season. Archibald used his small frame to his advantage, getting to the rim in crafty ways and making it hard for his opponents to defend him.
14. Gary Payton
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 6.7 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG
Accolades: 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA Team, 1996 Defensive Player of the Year, 9x All-Defensive Team, 1x steals leader
Championships: 1
Gary Payton is the best defensive point guard of all time. One of two point guards to win Defensive Player of the Year, The Glove was nicknamed as such because of his defensive tenacity and ability to guard opponents tightly. Payton was a true stopper, but he also shared great chemistry with Seattle SuperSonics teammate Shawn Kemp, forming a great alley-oop tandem with the big man. Payton eventually got a championship late in his career as a role player.
13. Bob Cousy
Stats: 18.4 PPG, 7.5 APG, 5.2 RPG
Accolades: 1957 MVP, 13 All-Star, 12x All-NBA Team, 8x assists leader
Championships: 6
While Bob Cousy did play in the early days of the NBA, that doesn't change the fact that he filled up the stat sheet and has some of the most accolades of all time. He was an animal for his era and was the game's first great point guard. The Boston Celtics became a dynasty under the leadership and poise of the Houdini of the Hardwood.
12. Damian Lillard
Stats: 25.2 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Accolades: 7x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team, 2013 Rookie of the Year
Championships: 0
Damian Lillard is one of the most clutch players in the history of the sport. Nicknamed “Dame Time,” Lillard has multiple buzzer-beating game-winners to eliminate his playoff opponents. Lillard has also been referred to as “Logo Lillard” because of his deep range that extends to nearly half-court. He deserves to be on this list of greatest point guards of all-time.
11. Kyrie Irving
Stats: 23.4 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 RPG
Accolades: 8x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team, 2012 Rookie of the Year
Championships: 1
Kyrie Irving is arguably both the greatest ball handler of all time and the greatest finisher at the rim for a guard in NBA history. One of the best isolation scorers ever, Irving is nearly impossible to guard one on one. Irving has missed a lot of court time in recent seasons due to injuries and off-the-court drama, but when he plays, he is an offensive weapon unlike any other.
10. Jason Kidd
Stats: 12.6 PPG, 8.7 APG, 6.3 RPG, 1.9 RPG
Accolades: 10x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team, 9x All-Defensive Team, 1995 Co-Rookie of the Year, 5x assists leader
Championships: 1
Jason Kidd is fourth all-time in triple-doubles and is one of the best rebounding guards in basketball history. While he never scored 20 points per game in a season, Kidd was a pure point guard and always got his teammates involved. Also an incredible defender, Kidd was extremely versatile and could play on any roster. After leading the New Jersey Nets to two Finals appearances in the early 2000s, Kidd finally got a well-deserved ring in his later playing days as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
9. Walt Frazier
Stats: 18.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 APG
Accolades: 7x All-Start, 6x All-NBA Team, 7x All-Defensive Team
Championships: 2
Walt Frazier had incredibly quick hands and was an incredible defensive guard. He was big for the position at the time and used that advantage to score as well. Frazier led the New York Knicks, one of the most important franchises in the NBA, to their only two championship victories.
8. Steve Nash
Stats: 14.3 PPG, 8.5 APG, 3.0 RPG, 0.7 SPG
Accolades: 2x MVP, 8x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team, 5x assists leader
Championships: 0
Steve Nash was a great floor general and passer. Paired with an incredible shooting ability, he was a dangerous offensive player. Nash captained the “Seven Seconds or Less” running and gunning Phoenix Suns teams that were some of the most effective offensive units ever. Nash has double the amount of times shooting 50-40-90 in comparison to the next closest player, with four seasons hitting those marks.
7. Russell Westbrook
Stats: 22.4 PPG, 8.4 APG, 7.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Accolades: 2017 MVP, 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA Team, 2x scoring leader, 3x assists leader
Championships: 0
A triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook has always been able to fill up the stat sheet. His 198 career triple-doubles are an NBA record. Westbrook will be remembered for being a fierce competitor and an explosive athlete. Four times Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the entire season.
6. Chris Paul
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 9.5 APG, 4.5 RPG, 2.1 SPG
Accolades: 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Team, 9x All-Defensive Team, 2006 Rookie of the Year, 5x assists leader, 6x steals leader
Championships: 0
The poster boy of what a point guard traditionally is, Chris Paul has been nicknamed “The Point God.” CP3 can score, pass, and defend. With one of the purest mid-range strokes in the game, Paul has been a top point guard for 18 seasons and counting. The point guard has made every team he has ever played on better, but he hasn't been able to capture that coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.
5. John Stockton
Stats: 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG
Accolades: 10x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Team, 5x All-Defensive Team, 9x assists leader, 2x steals leader
Championships: 0
John Stockton is the all-time leader in two of the five major statistical categories. His 15,806 assists are over 3,000 more than the next closest dish artist, and his 3,265 career steals are 500 more than the man on his tail for that statistic. Stockton and teammate Karl Malone formed an unstoppable pick-and-roll duo. He and Magic Johnson are the only two players to average double-digit assists in their careers.
4. Oscar Robertson
Stats: 25.7 PPG, 9.7 APG, 7.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG
Accolades: 1964 MVP, 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Team, 1961 Rookie of the Year, 6x assists leader
Championships: 1
Big O could do it all, and he was the original king of the triple-double. Oscar Robertson single-handedly willed his Cincinnati Royals teams, and then when he was teamed up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known then as Lew Alcindor) on the Milwaukee Bucks, he was able to win a championship.
3. Isiah Thomas
Stats: 19.2 PPG, 9.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG
Accolades: 1990 Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team, 1x assists leader
Championships: 2
The leader of the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons, Isiah Thomas, was an incredibly resilient ball player. Thomas won championships in a league that featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Even at 6-foot 1-inches, Thomas was always willing to put his body on the line.
2. Magic Johnson
Stats: 19.5 PPG, 11.2 APG, 7.2 RPG, 1.9 SPG
Accolades: 3x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 12x All-Star, 10x All-NBA Team, 4x assists leader, 2x steals leader
Championships: 5
Magic Johnson dominated the '80s, collecting five championships and nine Finals appearances in only 12 seasons. At 6-foot 9-inches, Magic had an unfair height advantage for his position, allowing him to see over the top of defenders. Johnson was the leader of the Showtime Lakers that were known for their transition success and flashy play. Johnson was exhilarating to watch, thanks in part to his charming personality and highlight real passing. If Johnson's career wasn't cut short and he continued on the trajectory he was on, he would have likely grabbed the number one spot on this list. Even with only 13 seasons to his name, Johnson had one of the best runs of all time, as his prime lasted the duration of his career.
1. Steph Curry
Stats: 24.6 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Accolades: 2022 Finals MVP, 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA Team, 2x scoring leader, 1x steals leader
Championships: 4
The battle for best point guard of all time was a very close race between Steph Curry and Magic Johnson. Prior to Curry's most recent Finals win in 2022, Magic would have held down the top spot. While the accolades are similar, the nod goes to Curry because of his superior scoring. Curry revolutionized the game, making the three-point shot the most important part of basketball. The Baby Faced Assassin is the best three-shooter ever, with a record 3,390 long ball makes. Curry was the game's first-ever unanimous MVP. His deep range and crafty handle make him one of the toughest players to guard, and he led the Golden State Warriors to an NBA record 73-9 win-loss total in 2015-16.
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