Who Is the Best Point Guard in NBA History?
Many fans and analysts consider Magic Johnson to be the best point guard in NBA history. He won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, was a three-time MVP, and was named to the All-Star team 12 times.
Magic Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and current president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Five-time NBA champion
Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, Magic Johnson played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five NBA championships, was an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and was an MVP three more times. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Three-time NBA Finals MVP
Johnson was named the Finals MVP three times (1982, 1987, 1988), which is tied for the most in NBA history. He is also one of only three players to win an NBA Finals MVP and an Olympic gold medal in the same year (1992), along with Scottie Pippen and Clyde Drexler.
12-time NBA All-Star
Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player and former president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, but he was stricken with hepatitis B prior to the start of his second season. The disease prevented him from playing the entire 1979–80 NBA season. Johnson recovered, but he subsequently had to retire from playing professional basketball because of increasing damage to his liver. He won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Dream Team”) and as part of 1996 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Alternative Dream Team”).
After his retirement from playing, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that visited small towns throughout America. He has also been active as an entrepreneur, actor, broadcaster, and philanthropist. His public battle with HIV/AIDS brought awareness to HIV prevention worldwide. In 1991 he announced that he had contracted HIV, but remained healthy until announcing his retirement from the NBA in November 1991. Since then he has been an outspoken advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safer sex practices among professional athletes. As of 2012,Johnson is estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $500 million.
Oscar Robertson
When thinking about the best point guard in NBA history, there are a few names that come to mind. But, Oscar Robertson is the clear cut best point guard in NBA history. He was a do-it-all player and was the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season. Let’s take a more detailed look at Robertson’s career.
1961 NBA MVP
By his second season, Robertson was one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. His triple-double average would not be matched again until Magic Johnson did it in 1982–83. Robertson played in his first All-Star Game in 1962 and was named the MVP after he recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.
He was also selected to the All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive year. The Royals finished seventh in the Western Division with a 34–48 record, 15 games behind the Chicago Packers (now the Washington Wizards).
10-time NBA All-Star
Oscar Robertson, nicknamed “The Big O”, is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. The 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 205 lb (93 kg) Robertson played point guard and was a 12-time All-Star, 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and one-time winner of the MVP Award in 14 NBA seasons. In 1962, he became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. His career’s high point came with his play for the Royals when he won an NBA championship in 1972 along with fellow superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar before moving on to the Bucks.
A stand-out player at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, Robertson was recruited by several colleges but opted to play for Cincinnati, where he was twice an All-American. He earned National Player of the Year honors as a junior during the 1960–61 season, leading his team to an undefeated 27–0 record en route to their second NCAA men’s basketball championship. As a senior in college he won most of the national awards and achieved consensus first team All American honorsCompiling 2,885 points over his collegiate career from 1957 to 1960 which were second most behind Jerry Lucas’ 3,015 during that span.,and was voted as Most Outstanding Player of the 1961 NCAA Final Four., He remains active as a business person and humanitarian through his Oscar Robertson Foundation.
One-time NBA champion
Oscar Robertson is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a 12-time All-Star and a one-time NBA champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is one of the best point guards in NBA history. He is a two-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA champion. Curry is a six-time NBA All-Star and has been named to the All-NBA First Team five times. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.
Two-time NBA MVP
In 2015, Curry won his first NBA MVP award and led the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship in 40 years. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and led the Warriors to their second consecutive NBA title. In 2017, Curry shot a three-pointer to eclipse the previous record for most threes in an NBA season, en route to his second consecutive MVP award and third Finals appearance.
Three-time NBA champion
Stephen Curry is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time NBA All-Star, he has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and won three NBA championships with the Warriors.
Curry played college basketball for Davidson College, where he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year. During his sophomore year, he set the NCAA record for three-pointers made in a season. Curry was selected by the Warriors with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.
He won his first NBA championship in 2015, when he was named MVP of the Finals. The following season, Curry helped lead the Warriors to their first ever 16–0 start to a season and was again named MVP of the regular season. In 2016–17, he became just the sixth player to average 30 points per game in 50 or more games in an NBA season, and was named MVP for a second time. In 2017–18, Curry missed most of the regular season due to injury but returned to help lead Golden State to their third consecutive championship.
Six-time NBA All-Star
Stephen Curry is a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. He has led the Golden State Warriors to five NBA Finals appearances, winning three championships. A native of Akron, Ohio, Curry played college basketball for Davidson College before being drafted by the Warriors in 2009. He is credited with revolutionizing the game of basketball by popularizing the use of the three-point shot.
Curry is one of the most accomplished shooters in NBA history. He is the league’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made, and he has broken numerous other shooting records. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first player in league history to be unanimously voted MVP in consecutive seasons. In 2017, he was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year.
In 2018, Curry signed a five-year contract extension with the Warriors worth $201 million, making him one of the highest-paid players in NBA history.
Jason Kidd
10-time NBA All-Star
Jason Kidd is a 10-time NBA All-Star who is widely considered to be one of the best point guards in NBA history. He played for the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks during his illustrious career, and helped lead the Mavericks to an NBA Championship in 2011. Kidd is also a five-time NBA assists leader and was named co-MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 2010.
Five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team
Jason Kidd was a five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member. He was also a nine-time NBA All-Star, and he won an Olympic gold medal in 2000.
One-time NBA champion
Jason Kidd is a one-time NBA champion, 10-time All-Star, and five-time All-NBA selection. He also ranks second all-time in assists and steals.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is often considered one of the best point guards in NBA history. He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and has led the league in assists four times. He also won an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Paul is known for his unselfish play and his ability to make those around him better.
Nine-time NBA All-Star
Chris Paul is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been hailed as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, earning nine NBA All-Star selections and nine All-NBA team selections.
Six-time NBA All-Defensive First Team
Chris Paul is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2006 and being selected to ten All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. He has also been a member of six NBA All-Star Game starting lineups.
Four-time NBA assists leader
Chris Paul is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an All-Star nine times, eight All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.
Paul was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He attended Wake Forest University for two years of college before being drafted into the NBA by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011 and spent six seasons with the team before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2017. In his first season with the Rockets, Paul helped lead the team to a franchise-record 65 wins and was named an All-Star for the ninth time in his career.
As of 2019, Paul is fourth on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 9,181 assists. He is also first among active players in career assists per game, at 8.8 per game.
