<
>

All-Time #NBArank: Michael Jordan tops list of best shooting guards

All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the best shooting guards in NBA history.

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 Thursday, we will have the top 10 small forwards of all time, followed by power forwards and centers. Click here for our top 10 point guards.

Enjoy!


TOP 10 SHOOTING GUARDS

If 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. Michael Jordan

Teams
Chicago Bulls (1984-93, 1995-98), Washington Wizards (2001-03)

Honors
Five-time MVP (1987-88, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1997-98), six-time Finals MVP, 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, 10-time NBA scoring champion, Defensive Player of the Year (1987-88), Rookie of the Year (1984-85), Hall of Fame

Championships
6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Career stats
30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, .497 FG%

The player
The GOAT. I have nothing insightful to add here. -- Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider

The best combination of brains, guile, athleticism and competitiveness in NBA history. He could do everything, and no one's done it better at any position. -- Rob Peterson, ESPN.com

People understandably talk about his six championships and 10 scoring titles, but Jordan once reeled off 10 triple-doubles in an 11-game stretch and led the NBA in scoring and steals in the same season three times. -- Micah Adams, ESPN Stats & Info

His impact is still felt to this day. Who else could sell 25-year-old sneakers at $200 a pop to a generation of kids who never even saw him play? -- Adam Reisinger, ESPN.com

2. Kobe Bryant

Teams
Los Angeles Lakers (1996-present)

Honors
MVP (2007-08), two-time Finals MVP, 17-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion

Championships
5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)

Career stats
25.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, .449 FG%

The player
Was Kobe the next Michael Jordan? Not quite, but he came as close as anyone who tried and created a legend of his own in the process. -- Reisinger

The greatest maker of tough shots in NBA history, and I mean that as both a compliment and a criticism. -- Pelton

Few players have been the subject of as much debate, but he won five titles and ranks as the third all-time leading scorer; it won't take long before we wonder what all the arguing was about. -- Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider

Love him or hate him, we won't see another player like Kobe. -- Peterson

3. Jerry West

Teams
Los Angeles Lakers (1960-1974)

Honors
Finals MVP (1969), 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-D selection, Hall of Fame

Championships
1 (1972)

Career stats
27.0 PPG, 6.7 APG, 2.6 SPG, .474 FG%

The player
A legendary performer in the postseason, West averaged 40.6 points per game in the 1965 playoffs (Jordan is the only other player in NBA history to average 40 points per game for an entire postseason) and remains the only player from a losing team to win Finals MVP (in 1969). -- Adams

Consider how great you have to be to earn a reputation as one of the best clutch performers ever despite your team losing eight times in nine trips to the Finals. Only West could do it. -- Pelton

What amazes me most about West is how he switched to point guard late in his career ... and led the league in assist average. -- Doolittle

As relentlessly competitive and prolific as Jordan; there's a reason West's silhouette is the NBA's logo. -- Peterson

4. Dwyane Wade

Teams
Miami Heat (2003-present)

Honors
Finals MVP (2006), 11-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection, three-time All-D selection, NBA scoring champion (2008-09)

Championships
3 (2006, 2012, 2013)

Career stats
23.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.8 APG, .489 FG%

The player
One of the rare athletes who, in his prime, could do anything on either end of the floor, whether it was flying to the rim or, as one of the best shot-blocking guards of all time, denying at the rim. -- Peterson

It's a testament to Wade's uncanny shot-making and driving ability that he's considered one of the greatest shooting guards of all time despite never developing a reliable jump shot. -- Adams

Wade is responsible for one of the best individual Finals performances of all time when he brought the Heat back from a nearly 3-0 deficit in the Finals to win his first ring, averaging 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 3.8 APG. -- Reisinger

Wade's willingness to adapt his game to fit around Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James in service of winning titles will be his legacy. -- Doolittle

5. Clyde Drexler

Teams
Portland Trail Blazers (1983-1995), Houston Rockets (1995-1998)

Honors
10-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame

Championships
1 (1995)

Career stats
20.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, 2.0 SPG

The player
I can think of no worse timing than being a high-flying shooting guard at the same time as Michael Jordan. Drexler would have owned most other eras, and deservedly so. -- Pelton

A tremendous pure athlete, Drexler had to develop the skill part of his game at the NBA level and did so with great success. -- Doolittle

Drexler averaged more rebounds, assists, steals and blocks than Kobe Bryant for his career, while also shooting a higher percentage from the floor. And Drexler never missed the postseason during his 15-year career. -- Adams

Though he couldn't get Portland over the hump, getting a ring with the Rockets put the cherry on top of an excellent career. -- Reisinger

6. Allen Iverson

Teams
Philadelphia 76ers (1996-2006, 2009-2010) Denver Nuggets (2006-2008) Detroit Pistons (2008-2009) Memphis Grizzlies (2009)

Honors
MVP (2000-01) 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, four-time NBA scoring champion, Rookie of the Year (1996-97)

Championships
None

Career stats
26.7 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG

The player
Often referred to as the best "pound for pound" player of his time, Iverson remains a larger-than-life figure to basketball fans of his generation. -- Reisinger

He stands as the paragon of an era where creating difficult shots was preferable to scoring easy ones. -- Pelton

While the isolation plays he loved are going out of favor, his combination of athleticism and relentlessness helped carry many offensively challenged Sixers squads into the postseason. -- Peterson

The signature Reeboks, the cornrows, the long shorts, the swagger. The Answer is on the short list of the most influential players in league history. -- Adams

7. George Gervin

Teams
Virginia Squires (1972-74), San Antonio Spurs (1974-1985) Chicago Bulls (1985-86)

Honors
Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, four-time NBA scoring champion

Championships
None

Career stats
25.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, .504 FG%

The player
So smooth that it wasn't until you looked at the stat sheet that you noticed he had dropped 35 on you. He was the epitome of effortlessness. -- Peterson

Among the handful of most iconic signature moves in basketball history, Gervin's finger roll has to rank up there. -- Doolittle

Professional scorer. Efficient from the perimeter in the era before the 3-point line. -- Pelton

One of the greatest scorers of all time, Gervin's four scoring titles are bested only by Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. -- Adams

8. Ray Allen

Teams
Milwaukee Bucks (1996-2003), Seattle SuperSonics (2003-2007), Boston Celtics (2007-2012), Miami Heat (2012-2014)

Honors
10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection

Championships
2 (2008, 2013)

Career stats
18.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, .400 3PT%

The player
Maybe the purest shooter of all time, Ray Allen's stroke is the basketball equivalent of Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing. The all-time leader in made 3-pointers, nobody created more fear off the ball than Allen. -- Adams

He really proved how, in the 21st century, a player could provide elite value without dominating the ball. -- Doolittle

Everybody knows about the shooting, but it wasn't until he got to Seattle that Allen really got to showcase his underrated all-around game, including the ability to create off the dribble. -- Pelton

His work ethic led to precision which led to his sangfroid when the chips were down. Just ask the Spurs. -- Peterson

9. Reggie Miller

Teams
Indiana Pacers (1987-2005)

Honors
Five-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame

Championships
None

Career stats
18.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, .395 3PT%

The player
Miller's shooting form challenged the orthodoxy of what a great shooter looked like, but he could get his shot off and make it consistently with range. -- Doolittle

His career had a relatively low peak, but what longevity! According to Basketball-Reference.com, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had more seasons with six-plus win shares. -- Pelton

Miller's playoff exploits, even without a title to go with them, are legendary, perhaps in part because they so often came at the hands of the Knicks. -- Reisinger

Antagonistic and cold-blooded with the skills to back it up. A classic "I don't like him, but would love to have him on my team" kind of player. -- Peterson

10. Earl Monroe

Teams
Baltimore Bullets (1967-1971), New York Knicks (1971-1980)

Honors
Four-time All-Star, All-NBA selection (1968-69), Rookie of the Year (1967-68), Hall of Fame

Championships
1 (1973)

Career stats
18.8 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.0 RPG, .464 FG%

The player
One of the first -- and best -- combo guards. He could run the offense or kill you without the ball. -- Peterson

Monroe could have been one of the NBA's greatest point guards of all time, but ended up sharing a backcourt with Walt Frazier. So he applied his skills to becoming a legendary shooting guard. -- Reisinger

Monroe was one of the most creative scorers of his time. Had he played today's era, he would have been a regular on the SC Top 10. -- Adams

Not particularly athletic, Pearl was one of the game's great improvisers, fondly remembered for his style as much as his substance. -- Doolittle