Top 10 Best Scoring Guards in NBA History

Starting guards have been one of the most important positions on the court since the founding of the NBA. Many great scorers are mainly active in this position, and even in the modern NBA, players in this position need to have elite defensive abilities. In addition to excellent shooting feel, the shooting guard also needs to undertake certain organizational offensive tasks, so the ball-controlling skills must also meet the standards.

Whether it is a scoring machine like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, or a player with extraordinary passing ability like James Harden, the NBA has witnessed many Hall of Famers shine in this position. So, who can be called the best shooting guard in history? Let's take a look at the following rankings together.

10th place: Klay Thompson

As a key member of the Warriors' championship machine, Klay Thompson's career with the Warriors may have ended in a heartbreaking way. He moved to the Dallas Mavericks after being injured, but the achievements he made with Stephen Curry and others are irreplaceable. As one of the "Splash Brothers", Thompson is an elite 3D player. He can shoot consecutively outside the three-point line and effectively limit his opponent's top outside players.

Thompson also performed well on key balls. In the game against the Pacers on December 5, 2016, he scored 60 points, which is a classic. He dribbled only 11 times in the game, becoming the first player in NBA history to score more than 60 points in less than 30 minutes.

Ninth place: Reggie Miller

As one of the most critically stingy players in NBA history, Reggie Miller became famous for giving the New York Knicks a headache. He has the ability to stand up at critical moments and under high pressures, which makes him an outstanding player of his era. Under coaches like Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas, Miller became the leader of the Indiana Pacers, and was the best shooter in NBA history before Stephen Curry rose.

In the first game against the Knicks in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Miller scored 8 points in a row in 9 seconds, and is still talked about by people, inspiring countless players from the 1990s who grew up with him.

8th place: Pete Malawic

"Pistol Pete" was one of the greatest players of his era, and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the third pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. He performed well in the first two seasons, and was selected for the All-Rookie Team in the first season, but he truly grew into a superstar in the third season.

As the scoring data soared, until the 1976/1977 season, he ranked first in the league in scoring with the New Orleans Jazz, scoring more than 50 points in four times, and scoring 68 points against the Knicks was one of the highest single-game defenders scored at that time. In fact, only Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor scored more points in a single game than him.

7th place: Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the Trail Blazers, and the shooting guard tried to compete with Michael Jordan in the 1980s and 1990s. "Glider Clyde" was selected for the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary team. In 1995, he won the only championship trophy with the Houston Rockets and was a key member of the "Dream Team" of the 1992 US Olympics.

Drexler is a very athletic defender. His greatness may have been partially covered up by Jordan's existence, and it is difficult for the two to avoid. In the first 10 seasons with the highest score of shooting guards from 1985 to 1995, Jordan occupied 9 seats, while Drexler was the only player with a score of 8.7 in the 1991/1992 season.

Sixth place: James Harden

Despite the many slander and criticisms of James Harden, there is no doubt that at his peak, the "Big Beard" was one of the extremely destructive scorers in the game. As the sixth man of the year for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets and truly released himself and became the core of the team.

Although they failed to lead the Rockets to break through the barriers of the NBA championship, their competition with the Chris Paul era and the Golden State Warriors was memorable, he still left his mark. The winning of MVP in 2018 was its highlight moment. It was the league's scoring champion for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020, and was selected as the All-Star and Best Team for many years.

Fifth place: George Gervin

For those who have never seen George Gervin play, the "Iceman" is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in basketball history, just like Harden. In fact, his NBA career averaged 26.2 points per game. Ge Wen not only left a strong mark in the NBA, but like Irving, he also played in the ABA and was selected as the All-Star three times.

During his legendary years with the San Antonio Spurs, he won the scoring title four times, including 1978-1980 for three consecutive years. As a member of the NBA's All-All-Levels and member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary commemoration team, it's really surprising that Gevin was not covered by the Spurs' retired 44 jerseys.

No. 4: Allen Iverson

As one of the most influential basketball players of all time, Allen Iverson's style and personal charm have quickly become a fan favorite. He was elected NBA Rookie of the Year in 1997, spent his brilliant time with the Philadelphia 76ers, and won the league MVP in 2001. Although the Sixers failed to fully play their strength in the playoffs, it was not that Iverson did not do his best, leading the league with four scores and topped the list with three steals.

Iverson averaged more than 25 points in his NBA career, which may be a complaint about the failure of the Sixers' management to build a suitable lineup around him. Even so, Iverson is still one of the greatest players in the team's history, and his excellent ball-handling and breakthrough skills have made fans crazy.

Third place: Dwyane Wade

As a legend of the Miami Heat, what is easy to be ignored is that before LeBron James joined South Beach with his talent and formed the three giants with Wade and Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade had won the NBA championship. In the 2006 Finals series, Wade was awarded the Finals MVP for one of the best performances in history. He was selected as the All-Star for many years and even led the league in the 2009 scoring list.

Of course, after James and Bosh arrived, the Heat began to dominate the NBA and won the championship in 2012 and 2013. Although Wade is not the Heat's record holder of the record scores, assists, steals and games, the No. 3 jersey has been retired and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2023.

Second place: Kobe Bryant

As one of the greatest players in history, Kobe Bryant has set many records in his 20-year glorious career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe is the Lakers' legendary scoring champion. Considering that there are many outstanding players wearing the Lakers' jersey, this is not easy. He won the NBA championship five times and won the league's Most Valuable Player in 2008.

During the three consecutive championships at the turn of the century, Kobe was Shaquille O'Neal's deputy. After O'Neal was traded, Kobe found his position. He won the league scoring champion twice, won the Finals MVP twice when the Lakers won the championship in 2009 and 2010, proving that he is one of the best playoff players in history. He was selected as an All-Star 18 times and ranked third in NBA history - Kobe's name will always be engraved in the basketball legend.

First: Michael Jordan

Given that Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player in history, it is no surprise that he is regarded as the best shooting guard in history. The Chicago Bulls idol has achieved remarkable achievements and has been unprecedented in the 1990s in dominance of the league.

Jordan led the team to three consecutive championships twice, winning the MVP in each final.