All-time · 1946–present
Best guards.
The greatest NBA guards of all time, ranked by a transparent model of production, peak, accolades and longevity.
The short answer. By the Balladex model, the greatest NBA guard of all time is Michael Jordan — 6× NBA Champion · 5× NBA MVP · 6× Finals MVP. Next: Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones.
All-time guards
Ranked by the Balladex greatest score.
| # | Player | Career credentials | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Michael Jordan | 6× NBA Champion · 5× NBA MVP · 6× Finals MVP | 2568 |
| 2 |  Magic Johnson | 5× NBA Champion · 3× NBA MVP · 3× Finals MVP | 1339 |
| 3 |  Kobe Bryant | 5× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 2× Finals MVP | 1336 |
| 4 |  Bob Cousy | 6× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 13× NBA All-Star | 963 |
| 5 |  Sam Jones | 10× NBA Champion · 5× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 875 |
| 6 |  Allen Iverson | 1× NBA MVP · 4× Scoring champion · 11× NBA All-Star | 816 |
| 7 |  Dwyane Wade | 3× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 1× Scoring champion | 807 |
| 8 |  Chris Paul | 12× NBA All-Star · 11× All-NBA · 1× Rookie of the Year | 754 |
| 9 |  James Harden | 1× NBA MVP (2018) · 3× NBA scoring champion · 11× NBA All-Star | 733 |
| 10 |  Stephen Curry | 4× NBA Champion · 2× NBA MVP (2015, 2016) · 1× Finals MVP (2022) | 728 |
| 11 | KIKyrie Irving | 9× NBA All-Star · 1× NBA Champion · 3× All-NBA | 727 |
| 12 |  Oscar Robertson | 1× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 12× NBA All-Star | 664 |
| 13 |  Jerry West | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 14× NBA All-Star | 657 |
| 14 |  Isiah Thomas | 2× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 12× NBA All-Star | 650 |
| 15 |  George Gervin | 4× Scoring champion · 9× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 643 |
| 16 |  K.C. Jones | 8× NBA Champion · 1× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 619 |
| 17 |  Russell Westbrook | MVP 2017 · 9x All-Star / All-NBA · 2x Scoring champion | 605 |
| 18 |  Tony Parker | 4× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 6× NBA All-Star | 605 |
| 19 |  Slater Martin | 5× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 601 |
| 20 |  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2× NBA MVP (2025, 2026) · 1× Champion & Finals MVP (2025) · 4× NBA All-Star | 595 |
| 21 |  Damian Lillard | 9× NBA All-Star · 1× Rookie of the Year (2013) · 3× 3-Point Contest champion | 588 |
| 22 |  Steve Nash | 2× NBA MVP · 8× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 586 |
| 23 |  Bill Sharman | 4× NBA Champion · 8× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 585 |
| 24 | DRDerrick Rose | 3× NBA All-Star · 1× NBA MVP · 1× All-NBA | 554 |
| 25 |  Frank Ramsey | 7× NBA Champion · HOF Hall of Fame | 545 |
| 26 |  Ray Allen | 2× NBA Champion · 10× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 532 |
| 27 |  Klay Thompson | 4x NBA Champion · 5x All-Star · All-NBA 3rd Team (2015, 2016) | 512 |
| 28 |  Dennis Johnson | 3× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 5× NBA All-Star | 511 |
| 29 | JJJo Jo White | 2× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 7× NBA All-Star | 511 |
| 30 |  Jrue Holiday | 2× NBA Champion (2021, 2024) · 6× All-Defensive Team · 2× NBA All-Star | 487 |
| 31 |  Joe Dumars | 2× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 6× NBA All-Star | 485 |
| 32 | RRRajon Rondo | 4× NBA All-Star · 2× NBA Champion · 1× All-NBA | 476 |
| 33 |  Gary Payton | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Defensive Player of the Year · 9× NBA All-Star | 472 |
| 34 |  Clyde Drexler | 1× NBA Champion · 10× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 471 |
| 35 |  Andre Iguodala | 4× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 1× NBA All-Star | 465 |
| 36 |  Hal Greer | 1× NBA Champion · 10× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 462 |
| 37 |  Tracy McGrady | 2× Scoring champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 459 |
| 38 |  Jason Kidd | 1× NBA Champion · 10× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 454 |
| 39 |  Michael Cooper | 5× NBA Champion · 1× Defensive Player of the Year | 445 |
| 40 |  Walt Frazier | 2× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 445 |
| 41 |  Nate Archibald | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Scoring champion · 6× NBA All-Star | 437 |
| 42 |  Ron Harper | 5× NBA Champion | 435 |
| 43 |  Manu Ginobili | 4× NBA Champion · 2× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 429 |
| 44 | KLKyle Lowry | 6× NBA All-Star · 1× NBA Champion · 1× All-NBA | 418 |
| 45 |  Derek Fisher | 5× NBA Champion | 416 |
| 46 |  Bob Davies | 1× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 4× NBA All-Star | 411 |
| 47 |  Steve Kerr | 5× NBA Champion | 405 |
| 48 |  John Stockton | 10× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 399 |
| 49 |  Chauncey Billups | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 5× NBA All-Star | 392 |
| 50 |  Dave Bing | 1× Scoring champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 387 |
Method. A transparent Balladex model estimate. Career production, peak, accolades and longevity, ranked across every guard in the database. See the full NBA greatest of all time and the stat leaders.