NBA All-time Player Tiers: The 20 greatest point guards ever, ranked
By Cal Durrett
Tier 2) MVP level
9) Bob Cousy
8) Chis Paul
7) Jason Kidd
6) Steve Nash
5) John Stockton
4) Isaiah Thomas
3) Oscar Robertson
Nine-time NBA champion and former league MVP Bob Cousy was the first superstar point guard in NBA history. He led the NBA in assists for a staggering eight straight seasons and boasts career averages of 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Those are strong numbers even by today's standards.
Chris Paul will soon start his 20th season and will likely move up to number two on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard. Although he probably won't have a championship to show for his stellar career, he was arguably the best point guard of the 2010s. His longevity only proves that he is one of the best floor generals ever.
At his best, Jason Kidd was one of the best all-around point guards in league history. Over his first 12 seasons, he posted 14.8 points, 9.3 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 2 steals. He also led the league in assists five fives, and made nine all-defensive teams. Not only that but he led the New Jersey Nets to three straight Eastern Conference Finals and back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. Fortunately, he finally won one in 2011 during his second stint with the Dallas Mavericks.
NBA legend Steve Nash was already one of the best point guards in the NBA when he returned to the Phoenix Suns in his 30s. His second stint in Phoenix proved to be one of the best stretches in history. Over an eight-season span, he averaged a terrific 16.3 points and 10.9 assists, with 51% FG/43.7% 3-PT/ and 91.2% FT shooting splits.
He led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals three times during that stretch, led the NBA in assists five times, and won two—almost three—straight MVPs. That cements Nash as one of the best point guards ever.
Although he is often knocked for never winning a championship, Utah Jazz icon John Stockton is an all-time great point guard. He holds the all-time record in assists and steals and was extremely durable during his 19-year career, missing only 22 total games. Given that players such as Chris Paul and LeBron James are roughly 3,000 and 4,000 assists behind him despite their longevity, it shows just how far ahead of the pack he was as a player maker.
Detroit Pistons legend Isaiah Thomas is among the only point guards on this list to lead a team to a championship, let alone two. While his career was relatively short, he made 12 all-star teams in 13 seasons and was both a talented scorer and passer, averaging 21 points and 11.5 assists during a four-year span. He also led the Pistons to five straight Eastern Conference Finals, three straight NBA Finals, and back-to-back titles. NBA
Legend Oscar Robertson was a dominant all-around player during his heyday with the Cincinnati Royals; he averaged a stellar 29.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 10.3 rebounds. Robertson later paired with a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to form one of the greatest one-two punches in NBA history, resulting in a championship in 1971.