Firstly, we know the Top 10 Point Guards in the NBA include Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Jason Kidd, and similar players with spectacular gameplay and stamina.
Point Guards are considered as the leaders on the court.
Equally important is exemplary ball-handling, which results in spectacular and unpredictable plays, making the player the best of all time.
Equally important is the shooting, passing, and getting through the defenders without turning over.
Let us find out who ranks where in the following list, with references from NBA and Wikipedia.
Quick Overview
| Name of Player | Career |
| 10) Bob Cousy (Robert Joseph Cousy) | 6 times NBA Champion, NBA Most Valuable Player, 13 times NBA All-Star, 2 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, 10 times All-NBA First Team, 8 times NBA assists leader |
| 9) Jason Frederick Kidd | NBA Champion, 10 times NBA All-Star, 5 times All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, 4 times NBA All-Defensive First Team, 5 times NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA Co-Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 5 times NBA assists leader, 2 times NBA Sportsmanship Award, USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year |
| 8) Chris Paul
(Christopher Emmanuel Paul) |
11 times NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP, 4 times All-NBA First Team, 5 times All-NBA Second Team, All-NBA Third Team, 7 times NBA All-Defensive First Team, 2 times NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Rookie of the Year, 4 times NBA assists leader, 6 times NBA steals leader |
7) Steve John Nash |
2 times NBA Most Valuable Player, 8 times NBA All-Star, 3 times All-NBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, 2 times All-NBA Third Team, 5 times NBA assists leader, 4 times 50-40-80 club |
| 6) Jerry West ( Jerome Alan West) | NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, 14 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, 10 times All-NBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, 4 times NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA Scoring Champion, NBA assists leader |
| 5) John Houston Stockton | 10 times NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2 times All-NBA First Team, 6 times All-NBA Second Team, 3 times All-NBA Third Team, 5 times All-NBA Defensive Second Team, 9 times NBA assists leader |
| 4) Isiah Lord Thomas | 2 times NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, 12 times NBA All-Star, 2 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, 3 times All-NBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, 2 times NBA steals leader |
| 3) Oscar Palmer Robertson | NBA champion, NBA Most Valuable Player, 12 times NBA All-Star, 3 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, 9 times All-MBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, 6 times NBA assists leader |
| 2) Stephen Curry (Wardell Stephen Curry) | 3 times NBA champion, 2 times NBA most valuable player, 7 times NBA All-Star, 4 times All-NBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, All-NBA Third Team, 2 times NBA scoring Champion, 2 times NBA Three-Point Contest champion, NBA steals leader |
| 1) Magic Johnson (Earvin Johnson Jr.) | 5 times NBA champion, 3 times NBA Finals MVP, 3 times NBA Most Valuable Player, 12 times NBA All-Star, 2 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, 9 times All-NBA First Team, 4 times NBA assists leader, 2 times NBA steals leader, All-NBA Second Team |
Top 10 Best Point Guards in the NBA
Next, let us take a brief look at the best point guards individually, including stats such as points, rebounds, assists, and the club they played for.
10. Bob Cousy
Points:16,960
Rebounds:4,786
Assists:6,995
Robert Joseph Cousy initially played for Boston Celtics from 1950- 1963, and then briefly with Cincinnati Royals from 1969-1970.
Bob Cousy introduced a blend of ball-handling and ball passing which gave him the nickname “The Houdini of the Hardwood.” Moreover, he played along with the greatest shooters of all time: Bill Sharman and Sam Jones.
He is 6 times NBA Champion, NBA Most Valuable Player (1957), 13 times NBA All-Star, 2 times NBA All-Star Game MVP, and two times All-NBA First Team.
In addition, he is also 8 times NBA assists leader and 2 times All-NBA Second Team. Obviously, taking a look at his stats, you can tell what a fabulous point guard he was.
9. Jason Kidd
Points:17,529
Rebounds:8,725
Assists:12,091 (Second Highest no. of assists)
Kidd has a career with 107 triple-doubles.
During his career, he won NBA Champion in 2011, NBA All-Star 10 times, All-NBA First Team 5 times, NBA All-Defensive First Team 4 times, and NBA All-Defensive Second Team 5 times.
He ranks the third, with the first being, of course, Magic Johnson and the second being Oscar Robertson. Being a game-changer and good shooter, he turned over and undoubtedly clutched games.
He played from 1994 to 1996 for Dallas Maverick, 1996 to 2001 for Phoenix Suns, 2001 to 2008 for New Jersey Nets, 2012 to 2013 for New York Knicks.
He has also been a coach for Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers(assistant coach) and is currently coaching Dallas Mavericks.
8. Chris Paul
Points:19,978
Rebounds: 4,923
Assists:10,275 (Fifth Highest no. of assists)
Christopher Emmanuel Paul, also known as CP3, played for New Orleans Hornets from 2005 to 2011.
Secondly, he played for Los Angeles Clippers from 2011 to 2017, then for Houston Rockets from 2017 to 2019, and for Oklahoma City Thunder from 2019 to 2020.
In addition, he started playing for the Phoenix Suns from 2020 to the present.
He won NBA All-Star 11 times, NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2013, All-NBA First Team 4 times, All-NBA Second Team 5 times, and many other similar titles.
Also, Paul played with quickness, and his good sense of ball-handling has made him a lethal weapon in the offense.
Moreover, he can shoot too, which makes him one of the best point guards of all time.
7. Steve Nash
Points:17,387
Rebounds:
Assists:10,335 (Third Highest no. of assists)
Steve Nash played for the Phoenix Suns from 1996 to 1998, Dallas Mavericks from 1998 to 2004.
Moreover, he played for the Phoenix Suns again from 2004-2012 and for Los Angeles Lakers from 2012-2015.
Dynamically improving the gameplay and driving the ball into the court by getting through defenders, turning games towards the team, perfectly clutching games.
Also, he was NBA Most Valuable Player 2 times, NBA All-Star 8 times, All-NBA First Team 3 times, All-NBA Second Team 2 times, and All-NBA Third Team 2 times, along with many other titles.
Nash mentioned that Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Magic Jonhson were his role models.
Eventually, making it into the same list, which includes Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, illustrates that he really gave his all to the game.
6. Jerry West (Mr.Clutch)
Points:25,192
Rebounds:5,366
Assists:6,238
Despite breaking his nose at least nine times, the dedication and determination he put in his game style were just beyond words.
Magnificent jump shot combined with aggressive defense, that was what Jerry West was.
West played for Los Angeles Lakers for 14 seasons from 1960 to 1974, and then as a coach from 1976-1979.
West was an NBA Champion (1972), NBA Finals MVP (1969), NBA All-Star 14 times, and NBA All-Star Game MVP (1972).
In addition to that, he also was All NBA First team 10 times and All-NBA Second Team twice, along with many other titles.
5. John Stockton
Points:19,711
Rebounds:4,051
Assists:15806( Highest number of assists)
With the highest number of assists in the NBA of all time, John Stockton is an extraordinary player.
Obviously, we know how important the role of assists is in gameplay and good coordination in basketball.
In addition, Stockton was exceptionally strong for his size and as fast as lightning. When he had the ball, he made his way through no matter what.
Stockton played from 1984 to 2003 for 19 seasons or 1,504 games for Utah Jazz.
He was indeed the greatest passer in NBA history.
He was a 10 times NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP (1993), 2 times All-NBA First Team, 6 times All-NBA Second Team, and also 3 times All-NBA Third Team.
Even though Stockton had a career full of MVP-level seasons, but was never recognized as the Team MVP.
Also, John Stockton played against Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman in Chicago Bulls.
4. Isiah Thomas
Points:18,822
Rebounds:3,478
Assists:9,061
Isiah Lord Thomas started his career by playing for Detroit Pistons from 1981 to 1994 for 13 seasons.
Despite clutching many games in NBA history, Thomas gets overlooked many times.
Not just 2 times NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP(1990), he also was NBA All-Star 12 times.
Also, he was NBA Assists Leader in 1985 and NBA All-Star Game MVP twice.
All in all, he had a rough-and-tumble play style similar to his teammates.
3. Oscar Robertson
Points:26,710 (top 13)
Rebounds:7,804
Assists:9,887 ( most assists in the NBA for 2 decades)
Oscar Robertson is also known as “the Big O” and has 26,710 points which is the 12th position in NBA history.
In his 14 year NBA career, he played for the Cincinnati Royals from 1960 to 1970 and for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1970 to 1974, long before Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Even before triple-double had a name, he averaged it over an entire season.
When debating about the best basketball player of all time, there is a clash between Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.
This is because both of the players were phenomenal and deserved the title. Robertson was the NBA All-Star 12 times, NBA Champion in 1971, and NBA Most Valuable Player in 1964, along with many more.
2. Stephen Curry
Points:18,434
Rebounds: 3,503
Assists: 4,984
Undoubtedly, the point guard position is considered one of the most difficult positions in basketball by many.
However, Stephen Curry, who started his career as a son of Dell Curry and brother of Seth Curry, people were not expecting much from him, but he proved them wrong and now is considered one of the best basketball players.
Getting threes after threes with a phenomenal passion and a drive to win the game, Steph Curry is, in fact, one of a kind.
He has been playing for the Golden State Warriors from 2009 to the present.
Also, he has won the NBA championship 3 times.
In addition, he was NBA’s most valuable player twice and NBA All-Star 7 times.
1. Magic Johnson (Earvin Johnson)
Points: 17,707
Rebounds: 6,559
Assists: 10,141
Of course, it’s Magic Johnson, the top point guard in the NBA, because who else?
Earvin Johnson, also known as “Magic Johnson,” is regarded as the best point guard of all time.
He played for 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979-1991.
After testing positive for HIV in 1991, he retired.
After a brief comeback during the 1995-96 season with a successful one with 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, Johnson decided to retire.
Being 6-foot-9 and the tallest point guard in NBA at his time, he played with a unique and legendary skill.
Whether it be passing behind the back, knowing the best play to tackle defenders or just, dribbling the ball in and scoring, he did it all.
Magic was NBA champion 5 times, NBA Finals MVP 3 times, NBA Most Valuable Player 3 times, NBA All-Star 12 times, and similarly, NBA All-Star Game MVP 2 times.
In addition to this, he won many other awards and titles in college as well as his professional career.
He won the NBA finals as a rookie. Thus, explains how spectacular and unpredictable his gameplay was from the start. When he plays, it is not so easy to keep track of the ball.
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