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NBA History: Ranking the 15 greatest point guards of all time

By Josh Cornelissen

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers and Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Mansoor Ahmed/WireImage
Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers and Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Mansoor Ahmed/WireImage /
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Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images /

15 greatest point guards in NBA History — No. 9: Allen Iverson

If we were ranking a list of point guards according to their cultural impact, Iverson would be in the top 3 alongside Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry. What “The Answer” did was influence and inspire an entire generation of basketball fans and young men inspired to put their time and efforts into a beautiful game.

He also did a few things on the basketball court, too. The Hall of Fame guard was generously listed at 6’0″ but still managed to lead the league in scoring a whopping four times, and he is seventh all-time in points-per-game (31st in total points). Iverson added 11 All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA selections and the coup de grace, the 2000-01 NBA MVP award.

Iverson’s star was always a bit brighter than in reality. His teams built defensive juggernauts around him and let him go to work. To his credit, he could still score in huge ways; to his detriment he did so on a massive volume of shots, leading to inefficient offenses. Iverson wasn’t the reason his teams won at a high level; he was the reason they didn’t fall apart.