50 Greatest NBA Point Guards of All Time (2024)

Point guard is one of the most significant positions on the floor in the NBA. Shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center all carry great importance as well, but having a point guard that's able to lead your team could put you at a supreme advantage over your opponent.

The point guard is designed to be the general of the floor. He's the one that dictates the tempo, rhythm and flow of the offense and makes the offense work. Without a point guard that has the responsibility of seeing the court better than anyone else on the court, offenses will find themselves out of rhythm many more times than a team that relies on a shooting guard or a small forward to lead the offense.

On defense, they carry just as much importance, as they're meant to use their agility, quickness and timing to either use their quick hands to stop a possession before it starts or to intercept the ball in the passing lane to start a fast break. They're part of the first line of defense, and they're meant to disrupt the opposing point guard to the best of their abilities as not to allow the opponent's offense to find a rhythm.

A number of the greatest athletes have run the point, and these 50 point guards have earned themselves a spot among the 50 best 1-guards of all time for their individual achievements, overall games and how they have impacted the teams they've been on.

Accolades

None to note

A surprising omission from the league's awards at the end of the season, John Lucas only has an All-Rookie First Team nod to his name and nothing more aside from a few nominations to the All-American Team while still in college.

Still, Lucas didn't need the awards or All-NBA team nominations to become one of the league's top point guards in the late 1970s, as he would average as much as 16 points and nine assists per game in only his third season. He would go on to average a career high in assists at nearly 11 per game despite only starting in 39 games and playing in 29 minutes per night.

One of the most peculiar aspects of Lucas' career would be the fact that he had three different stints with the Houston Rockets: the first two years of his NBA career, two years near the end of his career and the final year of his career in 1990.

Accolades

None to note

Despite being one of the best Sacramento Kings to date, averaging as many as eight assists per game and averaging 21 points per during an impressive career that has spanned over a decade, Mike Bibby has never earned himself a trip to an All-Star game or landed on an All-NBA team.

Miami Heat fans may disagree with this ranking, as Bibby recently greatly let the team down in the postseason, but that's beside the point.

Bibby saw his best years come as a member of the Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies, as he would average his career high in assists with the Grizzlies and in points with the Kings. He came a few games away from leading the Kings to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 2002 before possible interruption from the NBA played a part.

Accolades

1991 Most Improved Player

Setting the record for the most assists in a game with 31, current Milwaukee Bucks coach and former Orlando Magic point guard Scott Skiles set a record that may never be broken.

Skiles was a solid point guard in the 10 years he spent in the NBA, as he would average as many as 17 points per game in 1991 and as many as nine assists per in 1993. He would greatly help the development of a young Magic team that featured Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, and it showed, as he would set the standard for passing.

He would see his top years come with the Magic and shoot 38 percent from beyond the arc for his career.

Accolades

None to note somehow

I know—I'm surprised about that fact too. Aside from being a member of the All-Rookie First Team in 2000, Andre Miller has never been on any All-NBA team, an All-Star team or even considered for an MVP despite being one of the league's iron men and one of its most solid floor generals.

In terms of being an iron man, Miller has missed six games over a career that started in 1999. He has never missed more than two games in a season and recently broke a streak of three consecutive seasons of playing in 82 games this past year when he was forced to sit out a game.

Aside from being the Cal Ripken Jr. of the NBA, Miller has always been recognized as a solid point guard that can score when called upon and find his teammates for easy scores.

He led the league in assists in 2002, when he posted up nearly 11 assists per in his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Accolades

None to note

Not too well known by the average NBA fan, former Washington Bullet and Detroit Piston Kevin Porter would be a teammate of some of the league's top post players in Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld and Bob Lanier.

Porter would lead the league in assists per four times with a career high coming in 1979, when he posted up 13 per to go along with a solid 15 points per, which would also be a career high.

Unfortunately for Porter, he had two stints with the Bullets with neither of those coming during the team's championship win.

Accolades

One-time All-Star

Spending the best years of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in the first half of his NBA tenure, Nick Van Exel would help the Lakers get back into contention after the untimely retirement of Magic Johnson and the end of a dynasty that had five championships.

Van Exel wasn't Johnson in any way, shape or form, but he did manage to average as many as nine assists per game with L.A. while never posting up anything less than six assists per.

As well as being a solid passer that never averaged three turnovers per, Van Exel was also deadly from beyond the arc, as he would average better than two three-pointers per in two of his first four seasons in the league. The only problem was that Van Exel wasn't too consistent of a shooter, and he shot 41 percent for his career.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

Two-time All-Star

Two-time All-Defensive First Team

One-time All-Defensive Second Team

While many will argue that Rajon Rondo has only seen success because he is a product of his environment, I will have to somewhat agree with you because it definitely does help to be around three future Hall of Famers.

Still, Rondo is an excellent offensive facilitator and one of the league's top defenders at the point, which is something that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Ray Allen can't teach. In only five seasons at the NBA level, Rondo has already made it on to three All-Defensive teams and is two years removed from leading the league in steals per.

Rondo is coming off a career season where he put a larger emphasis on his passing by averaging a career-high 11 assists per to go along with 11 points per.

Accolades

2000 Rookie of the Year

Three-time All-Star

Before seeing his career go into a tailspin at the age of 31, Steve Francis was one of the league's top offensive facilitators in terms of scoring, as he would average better than 20 points per in three seasons and as much as 22 points per in only his third season.

Francis was an exceptional athlete that utilized his athleticism to drive and score at will against the taller members of the front court. He only averaged 43 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc, but Francis was still a feared offensive threat from beyond the arc and in the paint.

He averaged as many as seven assists per and at least five rebounds and five assists per for six consecutive seasons.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA Third Team

Much like Stephon Marbury, we tend to forget that both he and Baron Davis were among the most feared players in the NBA in the prime of their careers.

Before becoming a team cancer with the Los Angeles Clippers, Davis was a stellar athlete with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets and Golden State Warriors and would lead both teams to heights that they hadn't seen in a while.

Davis led the league in steals per twice and averaged as much as 23 points per in his final full season with the Hornets and nine assists per in his first season with Golden State. B-Diddy saw his best years come with the Warriors, as he would coexist very well with a fast-paced team that was always looking to run and play as little defense as possible.

The most memorable moment of Davis' career came in the 2007 postseason, when he led the Warriors to a stunning upset over the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.

Accolades

Two-time All-Defensive First Team

Four-time All-Star

Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point guards, as he would make it onto two All-Defensive First Teams while leading the team in steals per three times with a career high of three coming in only his second season.

That second season would be one of Richardson's best, as he'd also average a career- and league-high 10 assists per to go along with 15 points per night.

Richardson would average as many as 20 points per game in the second to last year before his eventual retirement.

Accolades

Nine-time All-Star

One of the NBA's top point guards of the 1960s in a league dominated by the likes of Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy, Lenny Wilkens was a longtime member of a St. Louis Hawks team that was coming off its best years with Bob Pettit.

Wilkens wasn't winning championships or averaging triple-doubles, but he was making All-Star games and leading the league as one of its most consistent players. He scored as many as 22 points per game and even led the league in assists per in 1970, when he posted up nine assists per.

He would set his career high in assists per two years later with nearly 10 per game at the age of 34.

Accolades

One-time NBA MVP

2009 Rookie of the Year

Two-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

He's only been in the league for three years, but any 22-year-old point guard that wins an MVP and leads his team to the best record in the NBA deserves a spot among the top 50 point guards of all time.

Rose has led the Bulls to their most successful seasons since the Michael Jordan era and recently led the team to an NBA-best 62-20 record while also leading the team to its first conference finals visit since 1998.

The reigning MVP is coming off an unbelievable season where he averaged 25 points, eight assists and four boards per while exhibiting a tremendous amount of offensive skill with his drives and crossover being the top attributes of his game.

Recently turning 23 years old, Rose may very well find himself in the top 10 of all time, in terms of point guards, if he continues to improve on his game.

Accolades

Two-time NBA champion

The current TNT analyst that we all miss so dearly at the moment, former Houston Rockets point guard Kenny Smith assisted the team in two consecutive titles during a stretch where every team was attempting to contend for a title with the loss of Michael Jordan.

Paired up with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler for one of those seasons, Smith would average four assists per in both championship seasons and convert on 48 percent of his shots to assist the Rockets in their consecutive title victories.

Smith's career highs would come with Houston, as he would average 18 points and seven assists per in his first season with the Rockets after spending time with Sacramento and Atlanta the previous year.

Accolades

1988 Rookie of the Year

One-time All-Star

Mark Jackson was never a statistical oddity. In fact, he never averaged more than 15 points per game and only averaged 45 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc for his career.

What set Jackson apart from many other point guards was his ability to lead an offense at an efficient rate while limiting his turnovers.

Averaging over eight assists per for his career, Jackson only averaged two turnovers for his career and only averaged three turnovers three times, with two of those seasons coming in his first two years in the NBA.

Jackson wasn't much of a scorer, but he was an excellent facilitator and would lead the league in assists per in 1997, when he averaged 11 assists per in between stints with the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

Assisting the Portland Trail Blazers on a few title runs, Terry Porter was a stellar point guard that formed quite the combination with himself and high-octane scorer Clyde Drexler.

Porter would average as many as 10 assists per and would average at least eight assists per for five consecutive seasons in the first six years of his career while dictating the tempo of a stellar Blazers squad that was solid on both sides of the ball.

He would average better than 13 points per for eight consecutive seasons with his career high coming in 1993, when he posted up nearly 19 points per.

Porter would finish in the top 10 in MVP voting once, when he finished ninth in 1991.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

Arguably the league's top point guard thanks to unmatched strength combined with a sick crossover, Deron Williams has quietly averaged better than 10 assists per game for four consecutive seasons and will be given the test of leading a less than stellar New Jersey Nets team back to the postseason.

Prior to joining the Nets, Williams led the Utah Jazz to some of their best seasons since the Karl Malone era with a conference finals appearance to show for it.

Williams is a solid scorer as well as being a passer; he's coming off a career season where he averaged a career-high 20 points per game in time split between the Jazz and Nets.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

A career that ended too soon at the age of 31, former Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Terrell Brandon would help lead both teams to some of their best seasons in franchise history as the primary floor general.

Playing the first six years of his career with the Cavs, Brandon would develop his game and average as many as 20 points per in his final season with the team. He would play a few games with the Milwaukee Bucks before teaming up with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, where he would help lead the team to its first 50-win season in franchise history.

Brandon would average 14 points, six assists and three boards for his career.

Accolades

Four-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Third Team

A career that could have been so much more than just a few All-Star game appearances, Penny Hardaway was destined for greatness before injuries would completely derail his career. From the 1996-97 campaign to the 2000-01 season, Hardaway would fail to play in more than 60 games and would never average more than 17 points per.

Compare that to the first three years of his career, when he had already led the Orlando Magic to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance while forming one of the league's more formidable duos with Shaquille O'Neal.

In his final season of being healthy, Hardaway averaged 22 points, seven assists, four boards and two steals per. At 6'7", Penny was too much for the majority of the league's point guards to handle, as he had a great deal of athleticism to accompany stellar driving skills and a solid mid-range game.

Accolades

Five-time NBA champion

Mostly known as the starting point guard on the Chicago Bulls during their second three-peat, Ron Harper was actually one of the league's top scorers and passers during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers.

In his rookie season, Harper averaged 23 points, five assists, five boards and nearly three steals per while making a deserved trip to the All-Rookie First Team. He would never match that point total again and would average better than 20 points per only two more times in his career before joining the Bulls and averaging over 10 points per only one more time during his career.

Harper would average better than five assists per four times during his career.

Accolades

Two-time NBA champion

Two-time All-Star

Averaging better than 10 assists per only once in a relatively short 10-year career, Norm Nixon spent his entire NBA tenure all over California, as he would spend the first years of his career winning two titles with the Los Angeles Lakers before going to San Diego for one season and then back to Los Angeles with the Clippers for the final three years of his career.

Mostly overshadowed by the exploits of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon would be one of the team's most consistent shooters and role players, as he would average between 17 and 18 points per game for four consecutive seasons while never shooting less than 48 percent from the field during that span.

Nixon would average nearly three steals per in only his second season in the league.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

Four-time All-Star

Four-time All-Defensive First Team

One-time All-Defensive Second Team

Never averaging anything more than 16 points or 10 assists per, Maurice Cheeks, the longtime point guard of the Philadelphia 76ers, prided himself on his strict defense and his ability to control the tempo of the game without turning the ball over.

Cheeks averaged seven assists per game for his career in comparison to the minimal two turnovers per to go along with it. He was also a high-percentage scorer that would shoot 52 percent for his career.

Mo played a key role on a number of the most dominant teams in league history, as well as the famed 1983 Sixers team that featured Moses Malone and his fo' fo' fo' prediction, as well as famed high-flyer Julius Erving.

Accolades

Three-time NBA champion

One-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA Second Team

An underrated point guard that's known more for his looks than his game, Sam Cassell was actually one of the game's most consistent floor generals despite spending time with eight different teams, including being with three different teams in the same season during the 1996-97 campaign, when he spent time with Phoenix, Dallas and New Jersey.

Cassell was a terrific player in the post and was known for taking advantage of his matchups that weren't too keen on how to defend a post-up.

He averaged 20 points per game four times in his career and would actually do the impossible by helping lead the Los Angeles Clippers to their lone postseason appearance in the 2000s.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

Five-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

Remembered as the leading scorer of the dominant 1972 Los Angeles Lakers team that won 69 games, Gail Goodrich managed to overshadow the likes of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain by averaging a career-high 26 points per on a career high of 49 percent shooting from the field.

It came as quite the surprise to see Goodrich average so many points considering that he had only averaged better than 20 points per two other times in the first six seasons of his career. Following the 26 points per he posted in '72, Goodrich went on to average better than 20 points per for three more seasons.

Of course, he was also a solid passer and would average better than five assists per five times in his career.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA Third Team

Try not to judge him too harshly on his years with the New York Knicks, because you actually had to take Stephon Marbury seriously during his time with Minnesota, New Jersey and Phoenix.

Prior to the massacre that was his last years with the Knicks, Marbury was actually one of the league's most feared guards, as he had a knack for being able to score at a prolific rate. He averaged better than 20 points per game for seven consecutive seasons with a high of 24 coming in 2001 and would even have a large assist total, as he would average better than eight assists per seven times.

Marbury was hampered by a bad attitude and conflicts between himself and the Knicks organization, but let's try not to forget too much about the stellar years he had in the first few years of his career.

Accolades

Five-time NBA champion

Seven-time All-Star

Five-time All-NBA Second Team

One of the NBA's first pure point guards, the Minneapolis Lakers' Slater Martin formed quite the pairing with George Mikan in the 1950s, as they would win four championships together before Martin teamed up with Bob Pettit in St. Louis and won his last title.

Martin would average as much as 14 points per with the Lakers and six assists per while leading the way for all future point guards, including players like Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson.

Accolades

One-time All-NBA Second Team

An underrated point guard that spent time with nine different teams over a career that lasted over 15 seasons, Rod Strickland managed to adjust very well as a point guard to every team that he joined.

With San Antonio, Portland and Washington, Strickland still managed to average at least eight assists per with each of those teams for at least two seasons in the minimal time he spent with each squad.

Strickland would also lead the league in assists per while with the Wizards in 1998, when he averaged nearly 11 dimes per.

He was a solid scorer as well as a passer and would average better than 15 points per for six consecutive seasons in the 1990s with his career high coming in 1995, when he averaged nearly 19 per.

Accolades

Three-time NBA champion

One-time NBA Finals MVP

Three-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA Third Team

Still greatly underrated despite being a three-time champion and one-time recipient of the Finals MVP award, longtime San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker is one of the league's top scoring point guards, and he barely has the range to be taken seriously from as far as the perimeter.

Parker is an unbelievable talent in the middle as he shows no fear, when driving in amongst the trees in the frontcourt. Tony has been able to thrive so well in the paint because of the timing he has on his floaters and his keen ability to finesse a layup from impossible spots.

He has averaged as many as 22 points per game and even scored as many as 55 points in an overtime win in 2009.

Parker has been relatively solid with his passing, as he has averaged six assists per game for his career and is coming off a season where he nearly averaged a career high in assists per with nearly seven per game.

Accolades

Four-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

One-time All-NBA Third Team

One-time All-NBA Defensive First Team

Two-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team

A part of this NBA organization for only six seasons, Chris Paul has quickly shot up the ranks, as he could easily be considered one of the 50 best point guards in league history while also arguably being the best point guard in the league today.

Despite being surrounded by a roster that hasn't always been up to par, Paul constantly has the New Orleans Hornets in contention for the postseason and even brought the team its first division title when he led the team to 56 wins in 2007-08 in a stacked division that featured Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.

Paul is an excellent passer with crafty moves and is also a terrific scorer that can hit from inside and out. Perhaps the top aspect of his game, however, would be his defense, which has earned him a few spots on the All-Defensive Team.

CP3 has led the league in assists in two seasons and in assists for three of the past four seasons while also setting the record for most consecutive games with a steal when he topped Alvin Robertson's streak in game number 106.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

An underrated scoring point guard that averaged better than 20 points per four times over his career and as many as 23 points per game in his final full season with the Chicago Bulls, Reggie Theus would also be just as good a passer as he was a shooter.

Theus would average better than eight assists per three consecutive times and nearly 10 assists per in 1986 during the Kings' first season in Sacramento.

He ended his career just as well as he started it, as he averaged 19 points per in his final year at the NBA level as a 33-year-old with the New Jersey Nets.

Accolades

One-time NBA Finals MVP

One-time NBA champion

Five-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA Second Team

Two-time All-NBA Third Team

Two-time All-Defensive Second Team

A solid point guard, even at the age of 35, current New York Knicks and former Detroit Pistons floor general Chauncey Billups has been one of the league's most consistent players since first receiving significant minutes in the 2002-03 campaign, when he averaged 16 points, four assists and four boards per.

Since then, Billups has never averaged fewer than 16 points or five assists per and has seen his fair share of success, including an NBA championship when he led the Pistons to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004.

Billups has seemed to only improve with age, as he's coming off another solid season where he averaged 17 points, five assists and three rebounds per in stints with the Denver Nuggets and Knicks. He is also coming off averaging a career high in scoring with nearly 20 points per, which he did at the age of 33 in his last full season with the Nuggets.

Accolades

One-time All-Star

Two-time All-Defensive First Team

Four-time All-Defensive Second Team

An excellent point guard on both sides of the ball, former New Jersey Net, Atlanta Hawk and Golden State Warrior Mookie Blaylock prided himself on his strict perimeter defense and his quick hands and anticipation that led him to leading the league in steals per for two consecutive seasons.

In fact, Blaylock was so solid on the defensive end that he averaged better than two steals per for 11 consecutive seasons. The only years in his career that he didn't average at least two steals per would come in his rookie season, when he primarily came off the bench, and in his final season, when he was only playing in 17 minutes per.

Blaylock was also a solid offensive player who would average as many as 17 points and nearly 10 assists per. He would average nearly three-pointers per game for three consecutive seasons between 1995 and 1997.

Accolades

Two-time All-Star

One-time All-Defensive Second Team

A solid point guard who was featured on some of the greatest offensive teams in NBA history—including one that once scored 186 points—Lafayette "Fat" Lever would average near-Oscar Robertson numbers as he flirted with the idea of averaging a triple-double.

OK, he wasn't coming up a few decimal points shy of doing so, but averaging nearly 19 points per to go along with 8.9 rebounds and eight assists per is still quite the achievement when playing in the NBA in the 1980s. Lever was able to post up these numbers because of how fast-paced the offense was, as his team would average upwards of 120 points per game for a season.

Lever would average better than 18 points, seven assists and eight rebounds per for three consecutive seasons and would average as much as 20 points per.

Not sure how someone listed at 6'3" could average nine rebounds per, but the 1980s were a strange time.

Accolades

Four-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

Three-time All-NBA Third Team

Finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting four times, Mark Price was basically seen by Cleveland as the LeBron James of his time.

Price wasn't prolific in the ways that James was, but he did lead the team to some of its most successful seasons in franchise history before seeing those records broken by James nearly two decades later.

The point guard was able to thrive as an offensive threat because of his consistency as a jump shooter, as he shot 40 percent for his career from beyond the arc and shot better than 40 percent four different seasons with his career high being 49 percent, which came in only his second year.

He wasn't too bad of a facilitator as a passer either, as he would average upwards of 10 assists per as well as better than seven assists per for five consecutive seasons.

Accolades

Three-time NBA champion

One-time NBA Finals MVP

Five-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

Five-time All-Defensive First Team

Five-time All-Defensive Second Team

A member of the storied Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1980s, point guard Dennis Johnson would play a vital role in the two championships that the team would win in 1984 and 1986. Johnson would complement the team very well, as he would deliver perfect entry passes to Kevin McHale and Robert Parish in the paint while also feeding Larry Bird for his plethora of points.

Johnson would average as much as eight assists per with the Celtics.

Some of his best years would come with the Seattle Sonics, as he would be named the Finals MVP of the 1979 championship team that featured Spencer Haywood.

He would average a career-high 20 points per with Phoenix.

Accolades

Five-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

Three-time All-NBA Second Team

One-time All-NBA Third Team

Equipped with one of the deadliest moves in NBA history, known as the "UTEP Two-Step," Tim Hardaway would utilize his quickness, agility and ball-handling skills to become an elite point guard that would lead the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat to some of their best seasons in franchise history.

In his first full season with the Heat, Hardaway would lead the team to a 21-game improvement as well as its first visit to the conference finals.

Hardaway was one of the first players in the NBA to utilize the crossover as a large part of their game, and it did wonders, as he would either set himself or his teammates up for easy scores. In his time with the Warriors, Hardaway would average his career highs with 23 points per game in only his third season and 11 assists per the following year.

Accolades

1967 Rookie of the Year

Seven-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

An underrated point guard that averaged better than 20 points per for the first seven seasons of his career, longtime Detroit Pistons floor general Dave Bing made the Pistons organization relevant early on in its history.

Bing was a stellar scorer and passer and would average as many as 27 points per in only his second season and seven assists per in the following season. He would finish in the top five in MVP voting twice and would finish as high as third.

Paired up with another Hall of Famer in post presence Bob Lanier, Bing would thrive in the inside-outside game that they would run.

Accolades

1986 Defensive Player of the Year

1986 Most Improved Player

Four-time All-Star

Two-time All-Defensive First Team

Three-time All-Defensive Second Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

The only guard to ever record a quadruple-double, where he somehow managed to have 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in a game against the Phoenix Suns in 1986. This occurred in Robertson's second year in the league in a season where he'd lead the league in steals per (obviously) at nearly four per.

Robertson would lead the league in steals per the next year and would actually average three steals per for four consecutive seasons. He would go on to average three steals per one more time in 1991, when he would also lead the league in steals per for the third time.

Accolades

Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Five-time All-Star

One-time All-NBA First Team

Four-time All-NBA Second Team

Four-time All-NBA Defensive First Team

Two-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team

A vastly underrated floor general that led the Milwaukee Bucks to some of their best years since the Lew Alcindor reign over a decade before, Sidney Moncrief was a solid point guard that was most recognized for his defensive prowess, which earned him two consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Moncrief is only one of four guards to take home the award with Gary Payton, Alvin Robertson and Michael Jordan being the others.

He was solid on both sides of the ball with defense earning him a few trips to the All-Defensive Team and his offense allowing him to average 16 points per game for his career. Possibly the best aspect of Moncrief's offense was that he was able to contribute solidly as a passer and shooter, as he shot 50 percent for his career while averaging as many as 23 points per game.

Accolades

1989 Most Improved Player

Three-time All-Star

Four-time All-NBA Second Team

One-time All-NBA Third Team

Remembered mostly for his legendary dunk over the top of Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Johnson was actually much more of a player than just one dunk, as he would lead the Phoenix Suns to some of their best seasons in franchise history.

He and the 1993 Suns would give the Chicago Bulls their toughest test during their three-peat, as it would come down to a last-second, game-saving block from Horace Grant to avoid a Game 7 in Phoenix.

Johnson was a stellar point guard for the majority of his career, as he would average better than 10 assists per for four consecutive seasons with a career high coming in only his second season, when he averaged 12 assists per while also taking home the NBA's Most Improved Player award.

That would also be the first season Johnson would average at least 20 points per, as he would do so for another two seasons before doing so two more times prior to the end of his career in 2000.

Accolades

One-time NBA MVP

1997 Rookie of the Year

11-time All-Star

Three-time All-NBA First Team

Three-time All-NBA Second Team

One-time All-NBA Third Team

At only 6'0" and 175 pounds, Allen Iverson set the standard for every NBA player that could be regarded as small or short. He was a high-volume scorer that would lead the league in scoring four different times, as well as average 33 points per in 2006, and he can attribute that to his lightning-quick crossover that would free him up for easy looks as well as a lethal mid-range game.

Iverson was never given a quality roster until he joined Denver and would lead one of the league's most inept rosters to the NBA Finals when he led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals against the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers.

He wasn't too bad of a defender either, as he would lead the league in steals for three consecutive seasons.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Nine-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA First Team

Five-time All-NBA Second Team

Two-time All-NBA Third Team

Nine-time All-Defensive First Team

Securing his first-ever NBA championship as a member of the Miami Heat at the age of 37, Gary Payton still managed to play a large part in the victory by hitting the game-winning shot in Game 3 after a frantic comeback that allowed the Heat to work their way back into the game and series.

Payton was always the kind of player to come through when his team needed him most, and it applied to both sides of the ball. He could hit from anywhere within the arc and could make the defensive stand or steal necessary to not allow his team's opponent to get off a quality shot.

Gary is the last guard in the NBA to win Defensive Player of the Year, and that came after he led the league in steals per with nearly three per game.

He would also lead the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1996 NBA Finals after leading the team to the Western Conference's top record at 64-18.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

Six-time All-Star

Three-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

Leading the league in scoring, 34 points per, and assists, 11 assists per, in only his third season, Nate "Tiny" Archibald was one of the league's top point guards throughout the 1970s despite weighing in at only 150 pounds. Much like Allen Iverson or Isiah Thomas, Archibald knew how to use his small frame to score points around the basket, as he was just too quick and agile to contend with at times.

He would average over 20 points per game four other times in his career before ending his career as a ring chaser with the Boston Celtics.

Archibald would finish in the top 10 in MVP voting five times with his best finish coming in 1973, when he finished third.

Accolades

Two-time NBA champion

Seven-time All-Star

Four-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

Seven-time All-Defensive First Team

A stellar point guard with a knack for scoring as well as passing, longtime New York Knicks floor general Walt Frazier helped lead the franchise to their only two titles in history with championships in 1970 and '73.

Frazier would finish in the top 10 in MVP voting three times and would average better than 20 points, six rebounds and six assists per for six consecutive seasons with his top statistical season coming in 1971, when he averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per.

Teamed up with the likes of Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere, Frazier would become one of the league's elite point guards in the '70s and would bring the Knicks to heights that they haven't seen since.

Accolades

Two-time NBA MVP

Seven-time All-Star

Three-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

Two-time All-NBA Third Team

Not the strongest defender, but certainly making up for it in being an extremely crafty passer with the ability to make any teammate look like an All-Star, the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash is one of the league's deadliest floor generals when it comes to finding shot opportunities for his teammates that the average point guard would never be able to find.

After leading the Suns to 62 wins and then 55 wins the next season without their All-Star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire, Nash would earn back-to-back MVPs after leading Phoenix to the top of the Western Conference while also leading the assists per for both seasons.

Nash has led the league in assists per five times, including the past two years.

Aside from being an excellent passer, Nash is also one of the game's top perimeter shooters, as it shows with his career 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Accolades

One-time NBA MVP

Six-time NBA champion

13-time All-Star

10-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

Revolutionizing the point guard position for future generations and becoming one of the first players to actually install a set offense to run by, the Boston Celtics' Bob Cousy earned himself a few championships in the late 1950s and early 1960s before handing over the reins to Bill Russell.

Cousy would lead the league in assists per for nine consecutive seasons with his highest output coming in 1960, when he averaged nearly 10 assists per.

Cousy was an excellent offensive facilitator that utilized his teammates to their fullest potential. He was the originator of the Celtics dynasty, as he led them to their first six championships at the outset of the creation of the NBA.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

10-time All-Star

1995 Rookie of the Year

Five-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

Four-time All-NBA Defensive First Team

Five-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team

Earning a deserved NBA championship this past season at the age of 38, current Dallas Maverick and longtime New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd continues to thrive as a starting point guard in this league despite seeing his stats significantly drop.

Prior to joining Dallas, Kidd had led the Nets to two straight NBA Finals appearances in the first half of the 2000s with nothing to show for it.

Kidd has been able to thrive in this league because of just how fundamental and solid of a point guard he is. His turnovers are limited, he makes high-percentage passes and he has court vision and awareness that draw similarities to Magic Johnson.

He has led the league in assists per five different times and has averaged as many as 11 per, which came in 1999 with Phoenix.

Accolades

One-time NBA champion

1961 Rookie of the Year

One-time NBA MVP

12-time All-Star

Nine-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

The only player in NBA history to average a legitimate triple-double for a season, which he managed to do so in 1962 when he posted up 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 11.4 APG, Oscar Robertson flirted with the idea of averaging a triple-double for an entire season on a few occasions.

How close was he? He came 0.3 assists from accomplishing the feat in his rookie season, 0.5 assists in 1963, 0.1 rebounds in 1964 and one assist away in 1965. If you're into that whole rounding up deal, then Robertson actually averaged a triple-double for the first five years of his career.

The funniest part of this whole ordeal was that Robertson didn't even win MVP the year he averaged a legitimate triple-double. He would win it two years later when he averaged a career high in points per with 31 to go along with 11 assists and just a little under 10 assists per.

Robertson would spend the majority of his career with Jerry Lucas and the Cincinnati Royals before pairing up and winning a championship with Lew Alcindor in Milwaukee.

He'd lead the league in assists per seven times and in scoring once.

Accolades

Two-time NBA champion

One-time NBA Finals MVP

12-time All-Star

Three-time All-NBA First Team

Two-time All-NBA Second Team

An excellent scoring point guard as well as being one of the craftiest passers in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons' Isiah Thomas helped lead his team to back-to-back titles with one of those victories earning him his lone NBA Finals MVP award.

Thomas knew how to play the game and play it well, as he utilized his small frame to score in places that the average NBA player couldn't score in. He was too agile and quick for the members of the frontcourt to catch up, and it resulted in Thomas averaging 19 points per for his career with a career high of 23 points per game in only his second season.

His strong suit was his passing, of course, as he would lead the league in passing one year when he went berserk and averaged a career-high 14 assists per in 1985 during a stretch where he averaged over 10 assists per for four consecutive seasons.

Accolades

10-time All-Star

Two-time All-NBA First Team

Six-time All-NBA Second Team

Three-time All-NBA Third Team

Five-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team

The NBA's all-time leader in assists at over 15,000, longtime Utah Jazz floor general John Stockton helped his team to two consecutive NBA Finals by forming one of the league's most feared duos with a high-powered scorer in power forward Karl Malone.

Stockton was small at 6'1" and 170 pounds, but he was strong-willed on both ends of the court, as made his way onto a few All-Defensive second teams thanks to his pesky perimeter defense.

His offense was his strongest attribute, however, as he was one of the league's top point guards for over a decade by leading the league in assists per game for nine consecutive seasons and topping off at nearly 15 assists per in 1990.

Accolades

Three-time NBA MVP

Three-time NBA Finals MVP

12-time All-Star

Five-time NBA champion

Nine-time All-NBA First Team

One-time All-NBA Second Team

The best point guard in NBA history, and there really isn't an argument that could support otherwise. Magic Johnson had the overall game, the championships, the MVPs in the regular season and postseason and the numbers to back up the claim that he's the greatest floor general to ever step onto an NBA court.

At 6'9", Johnson was a load to handle for any point guard, as he was too tall and lengthy to play solid defense on. Johnson was tall but still fast and had the ball-handling to make it as a point guard, as well as having stellar court vision and court awareness.

Johnson won five NBA championships for his Los Angeles Lakers in the span of a decade.

He led the league in steals per twice and in assists four times with a career high of 13 coming in 1984.