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The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. The result is our all-time NBA Top 100. The Top 100 will begin to roll out next week. Meanwhile, we are presenting the top 10 by position. On Wednesday, we will have the top 10 shooting guards of all time, followed by small forwards, power forwards and centers. Enjoy!
TOP 10 POINT GUARDSIf you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.
1. Magic Johnson Teams
Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96) Honors
Three-time MVP (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90), three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame Championships
5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) Career stats
19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG% The player
The greatest point guard in NBA history. Magic had unparalleled vision; he could see players get open and deliver the ball before they even realized they were open. He could play any spot on the court as well. -- J.A. Adande His Game 6 in the 1980 Finals, while jumping center as a 20-year-old rookie, has to be on the Mt. Rushmore of greatest postseason performances in league history. -- Micah Adams No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. He was transcendent. -- Rob Peterson One can only imagine how impressive his career totals might have been if not for the HIV virus. He had the best peak for any point guard in NBA history, hands down. -- Kevin Pelton  2. Oscar Robertson Teams
Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74) Honors
MVP (1963-64), 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, Rookie of the Year (1960-61), Hall of Fame Championships
1 (1971) Career stats
25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, .485 FG% The player
Mr. Triple Double was so far ahead of his time in terms of size, speed, strength and stats. -- Peterson He was the forerunner of Magic Johnson and LeBron James, and it's telling that both of those stars revere the Big O. -- Brad Doolittle Robertson's averaging a triple-double in 1961-62 is probably overrated because it was a product of the fast-paced play in the 1960s, but his role in the Milwaukee Bucks' early '70s championship run is probably underrated. -- Pelton Perhaps the most incredible part of the Big O's triple-double season is that he finished third in MVP voting (behind winner Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 PPG). -- Adams 3. John Stockton Teams
Utah Jazz (1984-2003) Honors
10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame Championships
None Career stats
13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, .384 3P% The player
Surely the most underappreciated great player in NBA history because he was quietly dependable rather than flashy and never broke through on the biggest stage. The true driving force of his partnership with Karl Malone. -- Pelton So precise with his passes and timely with his shots. His huge hands allowed him to pass as effectively with one hand as most could with two. -- Adande He led the NBA in assists nine straight seasons from 1987 to 1996. -- Adams He could hurt defenses in so many ways: Controlling tempo was one, and he was a hell of a defender, too. -- Peterson 4. Stephen Curry Teams
Golden State Warriors (2009-present) Honors
MVP (2014-15), two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection Championships
1 (2015) Career stats
21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, .441 3P% The player
The best shooter ever not just in terms of accuracy but also in creatively getting looks with but a sliver's opening and with unlimited range. -- Doolittle Over the past season and a half, Curry has played point guard as well as anyone else in NBA history. -- Pelton No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. -- Peterson He's one of only a few players in history who has been deemed too good for the sport's own good. -- Haberstroh 5. Isiah Thomas Teams
Detroit Pistons (1981-94) Honors
Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame Championships
2 (1989, 1990) Career stats
19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG The player
Thomas was ultra-quick with the ball and, at any moment, could pull up for a deadly jump shot. At 6-foot-1, he's the shortest NBA Finals MVP in league history, a reflection of his unique ability to dominate at the point guard position. -- Adande The only players in NBA history with more games with 20 points and 10 assists are Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. -- Adams Thomas was as tough as they come, could score with the best of them (such a sweet stroke) and, make no mistake, was the baddest of the Bad Boys. -- Peterson Thomas' willingness to share the spotlight helped make the Bad Boy Pistons incredible, and he had a consistent ability to step up his game in the postseason during Detroit's title runs (and near miss in 1988). -- Pelton 6. Chris Paul Teams
New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers, (2011-present) Honors
Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-D selection, Rookie of the Year (2005-06) Championships
None Career stats
18.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 2.3 SPG The player
The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. One of the best -- and quickest -- lob passers the game has ever seen. -- Adande The best two-way small player in league history, Paul embodies the era in which he plays by running the pick-and-roll as well as anyone has ever run it. -- Doolittle Perhaps someday Paul will reach the conference finals and we can focus more on his incredible accomplishments as a scorer, distributor and defender and less on his teams' inability to turn them into deep playoff runs. -- Pelton If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. -- Peterson 7. Steve Nash Teams
Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15) Honors
Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection Championships
None Career stats
14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P% The player
Wayne Gretzky on the court, Nash could hurt opponents by getting rid of the ball quickly or by holding on to it for so long that the defense finally made a mistake. -- Adande Nash is the only player in history to go 50-40-90 while averaging 10 assists per game. He did it not once, not twice, but three times. -- Adams For nine consecutive years, Nash's teams led the NBA in offensive rating. Still, Nash's greatest historical legacy will be paving the way for Stephen Curry and a new generation of point guards in a league that embraced point guards making plays with a wide-open court. -- Pelton Today's children will ask, "Who was the Steph Curry before Steph Curry?" Nash is the answer. -- Haberstroh 8. Jason Kidd Teams
Dallas Mavericks (1994-96, 2008-12), Phoenix Suns (1996-2001), New Jersey Nets (2001-08), New York Knicks (2012-13) Honors
10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95) Championships
1 (2011) Career stats
12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG The player
Probably the most versatile point guard in NBA history, and perhaps a tad underrated given that the focus on his assists overshadowed how valuable his defense was. -- Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider May be the strongest point guard ever and consistently made everyone around him better. -- Tom Haberstroh, NBA writer No guard in NBA history pulled down more rebounds than Kidd, who finished with more career rebounds than Willis Reed and Alonzo Mourning, among others. -- Adams Combined savvy with underrated strength. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. -- Adande 9. Walt Frazier Teams
New York Knicks (1967-1977), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-1980) Honors:
7-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA selection, 7-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame Championships
2 (1970, 1973)) Career stats
18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, .490 FG% The player
Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. -- Doolittle The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. -- Peterson A menace on both ends of the court, Frazier was at his best in the 1970 NBA Finals when tallied 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds in a title-clinching Game 7. -- Adams The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. -- Adande 10. Bob Cousy Teams
Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70) Honors
MVP (1956-57), 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame Championships
6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963) Career stats
18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG% The player
The undisputed first great point guard, Cousy remains the only guard in NBA history to be named First-Team All-NBA in 10 straight seasons. -- Adams An early ballhandling wizard, he was a point guard who was a focal point at a time when the game was dominated by big men. -- Adande Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. -- Doolittle Cousy was an And-1 mix tape in black-and-white. He was a master at leading the fastbreak, which led to Celtics titles. When people think of NBA point guards, he set the mold. -- Peterson Micah Adams is the lead NBA research specialist for ESPN Stats and Info. J.A. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. Rob Peterson is an NBA editor for ESPN.com.
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