Many people think the 2000s were the best era of NBA basketball, and there are many reasons that back up that argument. We had incredible teams in each conference, hard-fought games with intense defense, stars that were willing to do anything to win with their teams, and more.
However, the biggest factor to say this is the depth that the league had two decades ago. Besides power forwards like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and more, we had great guards, especially at the one. Many legends created their legacy during those years, destroying rivals season after season and playing big roles on championship teams.
One of the best players of that decade recently opened up about it, recalling how hard it was to compete every night given the number of great point guards you could find around the league at the time.
Deron Williams Recalls His Big Duels Against Point Guards In The Mid-2000s
Deron Williams recently made an appearance on Showtime’s “Forgotten Seasons”, where he touched on how stacked the point guard position was during his beginnings in the league. He recalled how big players like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd were dominating, while others like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury gave him the business whenever they went at it.
“Every night was tough. I mean, Nash, a lot of the players I grew up watching and trying to emulate, I’m now playing against them. J-Kidd was–I think my first game in the NBA was against Jason Kidd, who was my favorite player growing up. Playing against Nash, Stephon Marbury, AI [Allen Iverson], Steve Francis. These guys were who I looked up to as I’m coming down, playing on the playground, trying to be them, so it was just kinda surreal.”
Those years were incredible for the NBA regarding point guards. Added to the ones Deron mentioned, we could find Tony Parker, a young Chris Paul, Baron Davis, Chauncey Billups, and others. That was a great moment to watch the game’s best point guards, and for them, it was a total battle every single night, trying to prevail over their rivals.
