NBA All-time Player Tiers: The 20 greatest shooting guards ever, ranked

Tier 3: All-NBA

14) Klay Thompson

13) Manu Ginóbili

12) Pistol Pete Maravich

11) Tracy McGrady

10) Reggie Miller

9) Clyde Drexler

8) Ray Allen

Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson was one-half of the best shooting backcourt in league history. Over nearly 800 games, Thompson hit an impressive 41.3% of his 7.6 3-point attempts per game.

Even after missing two and a half seasons of his prime, he has already hit nearly 2,500 threes. At 34, Thompson is nearing the end of his career, but as a new member of the Dallas Mavericks, he could potentially add to his championship haul.

Four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili may not have the same stats as many on this list but he was a stellar player during his 17-year career. His off-kilter drives to the rim and elite finishing as well as his bombing from outside made him a player well ahead of his time, serving as the template for how star guards play today.

It also helped the Spurs rack up championships, with Ginobili being especially impressive during their 2005 title run, with many believing he should have won Finals MVP. Even without it, his resume is stellar.

Pistol Pete Maravich was an iconic player during the 1970s but his career was surprisingly short, lasting just 10 years. Still, he had a strong career, including making five all-star and four all-NBA teams. He also won a scoring title by averaging 31.1 points in 1976-77 without the benefit of the 3-point line. His stellar scoring ability and his flashy handles make him an all-time great shooting guard.

Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller spent all 18 seasons of his career there and established himself as one of the best shooters in NBA history. Miller was the first prolific 3-point shooter in the NBA, taking full advantage of the 3-point line in an era when it was seldom used.

His 4.7 3-point attempts per game are modest now but he shot a more than respectable 39.5% from deep. Before Steph Curry and Ray Allen broke it, he held the record for most threes. That helped him score more than 25,000 points, with him being one of only 29 players to ever do so.

Tracy McGrady's career numbers tend to underrate how explosive he was as an offensive player, averaging 19.6 points per game and scoring a respectable 18,381 points. However, during an eight-year stretch, T-Mac averaged 26.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, with eight straight all-star appearances and back-to-back scoring titles in that span.

Many considered him to be in the same tier as Kobe Bryant at that time. They were even nearly traded for one another. Of course, T-Mac didn't end up with anywhere near his numbers and has no champions. Nevertheless, his prime was as good or even better than most of the players on this list.

10-time all-star Clyde Drexler's career was overshadowed by Michael Jordan but he still had a strong career in his own right. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, helping lead them to an NBA Finals during that span thanks to his surprisingly well-rounded game.

He averaged 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 assists during his Portland days before being traded to the Houston Rockets, where he finally won a championship in 1995. That title proved to be a career-capper, and Drexler deservingly rates high among shooting guards.

Hall of Famer Ray Allen is widely seen as one of the best shooters in NBA history, having hit nearly 3,000 threes en route to 24,505 career points. His lightning-fast release and ability to move without the ball made him extremely difficult to stop, even when defenses knew he was going to bomb from outside. With 10 all-star appearances and two championships, Allen's resume is about as good as it gets for a shooting guard.