- Of the five point guards listed below, John Stockton is the only one without an NBA championship
- Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson are the only point guards to win both an MVP award and a Finals MVP award in their careers
- Magic Johnson is the only point guard to win multiple MVP awards and multiple Finals MVP awards
Recently we introduced a formula into the NBA GOAT debate that encompasses every aspect of a player debate and can accurately determine the order in which players should be ranked. In this system, we award different point totals to the leaders of several different categories based on what each player accomplished in their career.
A player will receive five points for every category he wins, four points for second, three points for third, two points for fourth, and one point even if they finish last in the category. This means that even if a player finishes last in one category, the rest of his career will still be taken into account when it comes to the other categories that we lay out.
Today, this formula will be used to determine the NBA’s greatest point guard. It is a debate that has been whittled down to two players, Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry, for the past few years but also has a few more worthy participants to be involved. Using our top 50 point guards of all-time list, we have decided to put the top five against each other in this all-out battle for all-time NBA point guard supremacy.
Again, this formula is not the means to an end of the debate. But it is as close to perfect as possible. There are going to be fans that reject this model simply because it does not favor their favorite players or the one they believe to be the best. All we ask is that you keep an open mind and give this new spin to basketball debates a chance to prove its worth.
This is the determination of the greatest point guard in NBA history using the most accurate formula.
Best Stats
When it comes to the best stats category, we are looking at the overall careers of each point guard rather than solely their peaks or primes. Each one of these five players has had an NBA career loaded with statistical dominance so let’s take a closer look.
1. Oscar Robertson – 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG (5 Points)
2. Magic Johnson – 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG (4 Points)
3. Stephen Curry – 24.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG (3 Points)
4. Isiah Thomas – 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG (2 Points)
5. John Stockton – 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG (1 Point)
Oscar Robertson was a Swiss Army knife during his days in the 1960s and 1970s, doing a bit of everything on the court at an elite level. Offensively, he was a one-man wrecking crew who became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season and up until 2021, held the NBA record in triple-doubles. Robertson’s defensive stats take a hit due to the fact that they weren’t until 1973-74. As the player with the best career scoring average out of this group as well as the leading rebounder and third-highest APG, Robertson is the number-one selection for this category.
Magic Johnson is widely referred to as the greatest point guard ever and the numbers he put up during his career are a big reason why. Johnson is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists per game with 11.2 while finishing just 2.8 RPG shy of averaging a triple-double for his career. His versatility on defense also earns him a spot here in second with the second-highest SPG out of any of the five listed.
Stephen Curry is one of two players to average over 20.0 PPG for their careers on this list and is the NBA’s all-time three-point king. Those numbers have to account for something and we feel they are worth three points in third place. Curry has averaged over 30.0 PPG in a season multiple times during his career just like Robertson but trails the top point guards in both rebounds and assists throughout their careers.
Bringing up the rear are Isiah Thomas and John Stockton. Now, if this were a cumulative count, Stockton could be much higher as he is the NBA’s all-time leader in both total assists and total steals. There is no doubt as to who stands as a top passer and defender out of this group. Thomas’ talents go way beyond numbers, but they were still very good as well. For these two to make some headway in this conversation though, they will need to make up some ground in other categories.
Most NBA Championships
For most players, an NBA championship is the only goal they have in mind for their basketball careers. Some tend to weigh this in a much heavier capacity in debates with winning being the only thing that matters in the world’s eyes. In our case, we have made it just as valuable as stats and accolades, leveling the playing field just a bit.
1. Magic Johnson – 5 NBA Championships (5 Points)
2. Stephen Curry – 4 NBA Championships (4 Points)
3. Isiah Thomas – 2 NBA Championships (3 Points)
4. Oscar Robertson – 1 NBA Championship (2 Points)
5. John Stockton – 0 NBA Championships (1 Point)
When it comes to NBA championships, two point guards on this list stand out above the rest. First, Magic Johnson leads all point guards on this list with five championships won. In his rookie season in 1980, Magic would win his first NBA championship and added four more to it by the end of 1988. Stephen Curry has helped the Warriors capture four NBA championships from 2015 through 2023 as well. Both Johnson and Curry are two of the winningest point guards ever so they are capturing the five and four points for this category was a given.
The next tier as far as championships are concerned belongs to Isiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson. Thomas was the clear-cut best player on a Detroit Pistons team that went back-to-back as NBA champions in 1989 and 1990. Thomas’ 1989 title run included wins over Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. Oscar Robertson won one NBA championship in his career as well. After spending a decade with the Cincinnati Royals, Robertson won an NBA title in 1971 with the Bucks alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bringing up the rear is of course John Stockton. Although he was able to help the Jazz reach two NBA Finals in 1997 and 1988, that was as far as Stockton would go in his career as he and the Utah Jazz would fall to Michael Jordan and the Bulls both times. Stockton is one of the best players in NBA history to never win an NBA title which unfortunately will not help his case using our formula.
Most MVP Awards
The MVP award is given out each season to a player who provided more value than any other player to their respective team. Often, the MVP is called into question due to media involvement with the voting. However, it is still an enormous factor when discussing the greatest of all time in any situation.
1. Magic Johnson – 3 MVP Awards (5 Points)
2. Stephen Curry – 2 MVP Awards (4 Points)
3. Oscar Robertson – 1 MVP Award (3 Points)
T4. Isiah Thomas – 0 MVP Awards (2 Points)
T4. John Stockton – 0 MVP Awards (2 Points)
Just three of these five point guards have ever been named MVP in their careers and only two have been named MVP more than once. Magic Johnson took home MVP awards in the 1987, 1989, and 1990 seasons, leading all players on our list today. Of those three seasons, Magic and the Lakers would appear in two NBA Finals and win one NBA championship while Johnson averaged over 20.0 PPG and over 10.0 APG in each of those three years.
Stephen Curry was named MVP back-to-back in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The 2015 season was his coming out party as he led the NBA in free throw percentage and three-pointers made. In 2016, Curry would become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history while leading the Warriors to a 73-9 overall record and also capturing a steals and scoring title. Curry finished the season shooting over 50/40/90 from the field but Golden State would end up losing in the NBA Finals.
The only other player here to win an MVP in his career was Oscar Robertson. He was named the MVP in 1964 averaging 31.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 11.0 APG which led the NBA. His team would finish with a 55-25 record on the season but fall to the Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals. As for Thomas and Stockton, neither were ever awarded with an MVP but both had numerous seasons that warranted consideration.
Most Finals MVP Awards
In many eyes, including mine, the Finals MVP holds even more weight in a discussion than the MVP award. A Finals MVP means more than anything that during the biggest moments on the biggest stage in the NBA, that player stepped up and led his team to victory. Let’s see where these point guards fall in this category.
1. Magic Johnson – 3 Finals MVP Awards (5 Points)
T2. Stephen Curry – 1 Finals MVP Award (4 Points)
T2. Isiah Thomas – 1 Finals MVP Award (4 Points)
T4. Oscar Robertson – 0 Finals MVP Awards (2 Points)
T4. John Stockton – 0 Finals MVP Awards (2 Points)
Only one point guard out of these five can claim to be a multiple-time Finals MVP winner and that point guard is Magic Johnson. It didn’t take long for Magic to join those ranks as he won his first Finals MVP in his rookie season in 1980, becoming the youngest Finals MVP ever. He would add his second Finals MVP in 1982 and a third in 1987 with wins over the 76ers in 1982 and the Boston Celtics.
Receiving four points are two point guards who could very easily have more than one Finals MVP award. Stephen Curry helped the Warriors win four NBA titles between 2015 and 2022, finally capturing a Finals MVP in 2022 after four tries. He could have easily been the Finals MVP in 2015, but they decided Andre Iguodala outshined him in those Finals. Isiah Thomas was named the 1990 Finals MVP in Detroit’s championship win over the Trail Blazers. He could have easily been the Finals MVP in 1989 as well but Joe Dumars was given the award as an acceptable recipient anyway.
Two players here were never honored with a Finals MVP award in their careers. Robertson won an NBA championship in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks but the Finals MVP was rightfully given to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a sweep of the Washington Bullets. As for Stockton, he never had the chance to win a Finals MVP thanks to Michael Jordan and the Bulls who defeated Stockton and the Utah Jazz in both the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.
Most Defensive Player Of The Year Awards
All five of these players did more than hold their own on the defensive side of the ball in their careers. They all have the defensive stats and accolades to prove it. However, all come up empty when it comes to this prestigious award.
1. Magic Johnson – 0 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards (0 Points)
2. John Stockton – 0 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards (0 Points)
3. Stephen Curry – 0 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards (0 Points)
4. Oscar Robertson – 0 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards (0 Points)
5. Isiah Thomas – 0 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards (0 Points)
None of these players have ever been honored with a Defensive Player of the Year award in their careers. This comes as no surprise as only two point guards have ever won the award with those being Gary Payton in 1996 and Marcus Smart in 2022. This isn’t to say that each of these players has not been elite defensively. Every one of them has their signature defensive moments as well as numerous selections to All-Defensive Teams but we will get to that later.
Most All-NBA Teams
As an NBA player, making an All-NBA Team means you are among the elite of the elite as your position in the NBA. In many ways, making an All-NBA Team can mean more to a player than being named an All-Star, and it could even lead to an upgrade in pay for some with a clause in their contract.
T1. John Stockton – 11 All-NBA Teams (5 Points)
T1. Oscar Robertson – 11 All-NBA Teams (5 Points)
3. Magic Johnson – 10 All-NBA Teams (3 Points)
4. Stephen Curry – 9 All-NBA Teams (2 Points)
5. Isiah Thomas – 5 All-NBA Teams (1 Point)
As far as All-NBA Team selections are concerned, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton both lead this group with 11. In his 14-year career, Robertson earned 11 All-NBA Team selections with nine of them being with the First Team and two being with the Second Team. As for Stockton, he also made 11 All-NBA Teams in his 19 seasons in the NBA. For Stockton, his point guard competition was fierce but he managed to earn two First Team selections, six Second Team selections, and three Third Team selections.
Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry are neck-and-neck for All-NBA selections as Johnson sits just one ahead of Curry with 10. Johnson played 13 seasons and earned nine First Team selections and one Second Team selection. Now, it is important to note that I believe Curry will overtake everyone ahead of him in this category with nine selections to his name. Four of his selections have been to the First Team and four have been to the Second Team as well with his only Third Team year coming in 2018.
Bringing up the rear and receiving one point for effort is Isiah Thomas. In fairness to him, the point guard position was loaded during the 1980s and 90s with Thomas often seeing the short end of the stick in All-NBA voting. He earned First Team selections in 1984, 1985, and 1986 while picking up Second Team selections in 1983 and 1987.
Most All-Defensive Team Selections
The All-Defensive Team selections are also seen as a badge of honor that many players in the NBA take extreme pride in. Being an elite offensive player in the NBA is one thing but for many, the defensive side of the ball is where they earn the big bucks. Let’s see how the most elite point guards were in regards to being named one of the best defenders at their position for any specific season.
1. John Stockton – 5 All-Defensive Teams (5 Points)
T2. Magic Johnson – 0 All-Defensive Teams (4 Points)
T2. Stephen Curry – 0 All-Defensive Teams (4 Points)
T2. Isiah Thomas – 0 All-Defensive Teams (4 Points)
T2. Oscar Robertson – 0 All-Defensive Teams (4 Points)
Is it that hard to believe that only one of these players has been selected to an All-Defensive Team in their careers? Yes, it is. Before you, there are former steals champions and members of iconic defensive teams that have never been honored for their defensive accomplishments. This goes to show just how tough it is to be named an All-Defensive Team member in the NBA.
As for Stockton, he is the NBA’s all-time leader in steals as well as the winner of two different steals titles in his career. His 2.2 career SPG ranks seventh in NBA history and is fourth among point guards with names like Fat Lever, Alvin Robertson, Micheal Ray Richardson, and Mookie Blaylock ahead of him. All five of his All-Defensive Team selections came as a member of the Second Team and all occurred between 1989 and 1997.
Most All-Star Selections
As far as greatness goes, being named an All-Star has lost the allure that it once had in these discussions. With fans being more involved than ever, the All-Star Game has been tweaked so many times, it is hard to find a consistent way to judge them. Regardless, being named an All-Star is still a high honor in the NBA and is a title that comes with its perks as far as pay is concerned as well.
T1. Magic Johnson – 12 All-Star Selections (5 Points)
T1. Isiah Thomas – 12 All-Star Selections (5 Points)
T1. Oscar Robertson – 12 All-Star Selections (5 Points)
4. John Stockton – 10 All-Star Selections (2 Points)
5. Stephen Curry – 9 All-Star Selections (1 Point)
Every point guard who is under the microscope here today has been selected for their fair share of All-Star Games in their careers. It is also worth noting that every point guard here has won at least one All-Star Game MVP award as well. Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Isiah Thomas all get five points for their 12 All-Star selections in their careers. Robertson leads the way with three All-Star Game MVPs while Thomas and Magic each earned two in their careers.
Stephen Curry is right on the heels of passing Stockton when it comes to All-Star selections and if he plays until 2025, finds himself in another category he will take over by that time. Both Stockton and Curry have one All-Star Game MVP to their names but Curry could be in line for more with the three-point display he puts on every year during the festivities.
Most Total Win Shares
For a more direct measure of impact on team success, we take a look at these five players in terms of the win shares they accumulated over their careers. Win Shares are a general way of looking at this but it is still the only stat that can be linked to one’s impact on the court
1. John Stockton – 207.7 Win Shares (5 Points)
2. Oscar Robertson – 189.2 Win Shares (4 Points)
3. Magic Johnson – 155.8 Win Shares (3 Points)
4. Stephen Curry – 128.0 Win Shares (2 Points)
5. Isiah Thomas – 80.7 Win Shares (1 Point)
When it comes to win shares, the King of this category is John Stockton. He never led the NBA in win shares but he did account for between 13.0 and 16.0 win shares every season from 1988 through 1997. Stockton’s 19 seasons in the NBA certainly helped him earn all of those win shares but don’t mistake his longevity for weakness, he earned those 207 win shares far and square.
Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson are another two players on this list with over 150.0 win shares in their careers while Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas both fall under that mark. Oscar is the only other player close to the 200.0 mark that Stockton passed and Thomas is the only player to fall under the 1000.0 threshold of the five players listed here.
PER
Before you, we have five of the most efficient players ever at the point guard position and if you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself. While PER is flawed, it is still a very good measurement of one’s impact on the court taking into account many positive and negative outcomes there are during an NBA basketball game.
1. Magic Johnson – 24.1 PER (5 Points)
2. Stephen Curry – 23.8 PER (4 Points)
3. Oscar Robertson – 23.2 PER (3 Points)
4. John Stockton – 21.8 PER (2 Points)
5. Isiah Thomas – 18.1 PER (1 Point)
When it comes to PER or Player Efficiency Rating, there are three point guards here who reign supreme. Magic Johnson is the GOAT of PER for point guards, trailing only Chris Paul for the title of most efficient. Stephen Curry falls just .3 behind Magic as one of the most efficient shooters and scorers in NBA history.
Oscar Robertson also has an elite PER of over 23.0 despite playing at a time when advanced stats were not even created yet. Stockton also falls above a 20.0 PER which as you can see is a great standard for the point guard position. The one surprise is how low Isiah Thomas falls for his PER during his 13-year career. His 18.1 PER is by far the lowest among the five players we are comparing today and could cost Thomas a spot in the top three in the final standings.
Who Is The Greatest Point Guard In NBA History?
Now that all of the categories have been discussed and broken down, it is time to tally up the scores and declare a winner. Remember, this is not a definitive declaration of this player as the greatest but we definitely think you will be intrigued and agree with the results.
1. Magic Johnson – 39 Total Points (5 Categories Won)
2. Oscar Robertson – 33 Total Points (3 Categories Won)
3. Stephen Curry – 28 Total Points (0 Categories Won)
4. John Stockton – 25 Total Points (3 Categories Won)
5. Isiah Thomas – 23 Total Points (1 Category Won)
Whew, what a conclusion to this epic breakdown of the point guard position. The first thing we have to address is Magic Johnson’s overall dominance of the entire formula. Magic accumulated 39 points in comparison to his counterparts on this day, winning five categories which were the most out of all five players. If he is your GOAT point guard, this formula works perfectly in your argument.
This will not, however, be accepted well by Stephen Curry fans. This could not be further from what we are saying at all. Curry still has accolades and stats to compile so with his career being incomplete, you can see his oath to the number-one spot is not far away. I also think we need to give a ton more credit to Oscar Robertson’s career. I don’t have him personally ranked ahead of Curry on an all-time scale but the argument can be made and it is crazy to think it can’t
As for Stockton and Thomas, it cannot be argued that either man belongs anywhere but inside the top five as an NBA point guard in their careers. They were both statistically dominant and won their fair share of basketball games. What this has done is put a firm stance on who the top three should be but should in no way diminish how good Thomas and Stockton were in their careers. Did we get it right?
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