The 25 greatest shooting guards of all time

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame describes Pete Maravich as "perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history." Why, then, isn't "Pistol Pete" higher? The five-time All-Star played in only 658 pro games, and chronic knee problems ended his career at the age of 32. Had Maravich come along at a time when the three-point arc existed, his NBA achievements may have matched his legend. 

Almost quietly among those who casually follow the NBA, Kyle Korver became one of the greatest three-point shooters in history. He's the only man to lead the league in three-point percentage on four occasions. He topped Steve Kerr's mark for highest single-season, three-point percentage when he shot over 53.6 percent from beyond the arc during the 2009-10 campaign. He once held the record for most consecutive games with a triple until Stephen Curry topped it in February 2016. If only Korver had linked up with LeBron James before January 2017. 

In his 14th and last season as an active player, Jeff Hornacek appeared in 77 games and shot 49.2 percent from the field. Nobody should have expected him to be any less consistent. Hornacek shot 49.6 percent throughout his career, and his 58.2 true shooting percentage is higher than marks belonging to Hall of Famers such as Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. 

The position is shooting guard, but Alvin Robertson makes the cut largely because of his defense. Standing at 6-foot-3, relatively small for the position, Robertson won both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player for the 1985-86 season, and he thrice led the league in steals. As of the first few months of 2019, the four-time All-Star who earned spots on seven All-NBA squads remained first all time in steals per game, and he sits ninth in NBA history in total takeaways. 

In April 2018, Complex's Aaron Mansfield named Mitch Richmond one of the most underrated players from the 1990s, something ESPN's Israel Gutierrez and Maxwell Ogden of Hoops Habit also touched upon in separate pieces. While part of the Golden State Warriors "Run TMC" offense and, later, as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Richmond averaged at least 21.9 PPG in each of his first 10 seasons. The 1989 Rookie of the Year was a six-time All-Star voted to the Hall of Fame in 2014. 

One shouldn't punish Gail Goodrich for playing alongside the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor  with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1970s as it pertains to this topic. The five-time All-Star led the Lakers in  PPG in four straight seasons during the first half of the '70s, but the Hall of Famer won only a single championship before the franchise declined. He retired as one of the greatest scoring southpaws in league history. 

When Bill Sharman retired in 1961 after his 11th season, he and Bob Cousy were responsible for the greatest backcourt in the sport's history. Along with finishing in the top 10 in field goal percentage six times, Sharman set records by leading the NBA in free-throw percentage on seven occasions and during five consecutive seasons, as Stuart Lavietes of The New York Times wrote. Sharman was an All-Star every year from 1953 through 1960, and he retired a four-time champion. 

"I had the ability to be one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game, and I blew it," is what David Thompson once said about the substance abuse issues that derailed his career after nine seasons, per NBA.com. The four-time NBA All-Star was first-team All-NBA for the 1976-77 and 1977-78 campaigns, and he's one of only six players to ever tally 70 points in a single game. 

According to NBA.com , Walt "Clyde" Frazier, an all-time great defensive guard, once compared attempting to defend Earl Monroe to "watching a horror movie." Monroe, a four-time All-Star and one-time champion, is credited with perfecting the spin move toward the hoop, and his willingness to adapt after he was traded to the New York Knicks to play alongside Frazier in 1971 helped him earn the only title of his Hall of Fame career. 

Joe Dumars was never as flashy as Dominique Wilkins nor as dominant as Michael Jordan. Dumars was a tenacious defender for the "Bad Boys" Pistons that won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, however, and he was voted MVP for the 1989 NBA Finals. As David Astramskas of Ball is Life wrote, Michael Jordan once named Dumars, who made five All-Defensive teams during his career, as the best defensive player he ever faced and "the toughest guy for me to drive by."

Klay Thompson may always be a polarizing figure in such discussions. He's a three-time champion probably headed to a fourth title, and he's been an All-Star mainstay since 2015. Thompson also will never be the No. 1 guy for the Golden State Warriors dynasty, as that role has been reserved for Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. When Thompson is on fire and at his best, he's proved he can match Curry shot for shot beyond the arc. He's already one of the greatest postseason three-point shooters in history. 

Like Klay Thompson, Hal Greer wasn't the main threat for the Philadelphia 76ers side that won the title in 1967. There's no shame being second on the team in scoring behind a guy named Wilt Chamberlain. An All-Star every year from 1961 through 1970, Greer earned All-NBA honors on seven occasions during the 1960s. According to Basketball-Reference, Greer, who passed away in April 2018, still holds franchise records for points, field goals, games, minutes and field-goal attempts. 

Vince Carter entered pro basketball via the 1998 NBA Draft. He's still playing in the spring of 2019, and he may return in the fall for his 22nd season. There's never been a better in-game dunker than Carter during the heights of "Vinsanity," and he's eclipsed 25,000 career points. The eight-time All-Star won't have to wait long for a Hall of Fame induction, assuming he'll actually retire at some point during the 2020s. 

It's a stretch to suggest Manu Ginobili was as important to the San Antonio Spurs becoming a dynasty as Tim Duncan, but Ginobili buying into the franchise's team-first mentality coming off the bench for much of his career cannot go unappreciated. The four-time champion who surprisingly only Sixth Man of the Year only once (2007-08) turned attacking the rim into an artform, and he's fourth all-time in career playoff three-pointers. Ahead of the 2019 playoffs, only Ray Allen, Stephen Curry and LeBron James have buried more postseason threes.

If Michael Jordan is the GOAT over LeBron James and Kobe Bryant largely because of championships won, maybe Sam Jones should be higher on this list. After all, only Bill Russell, Jones' teammate with the Boston Celtics, won more titles (11) than the Hall of Fame guard (10). "The Shooter" made a living off calling " bank" during a career that included five All-Star and three All-NBA nods. 

From the fall of 2002 through the spring of 2004, Tracy McGrady performed at the level of an all-time great wing player who won the scoring titles for both of those seasons. The seven-time All-Star and All-NBA player had his prime cut by injuries, though, and that harsh reality coupled with non-existent postseason successes affect his standing in these types of lists. 

Stephen Curry is widely viewed as the greatest shooter of all time. To date, nobody has matched Steve Kerr's consistent three-point accuracy. As of March 2019, Ray Allen holds the record for most career threes, and the 10-time All-Star and two-time champion once drained one of the greatest shots in Finals history. He's 43 years old as of the typing of this sentence, and he could probably still come off the bench for a handful of clubs. 

Fans who watched Reggie Miller during his prime can close their eyes and envision the Indiana Pacers legend breaking the hearts of the New York Knicks and also famously taunting and tormenting Spike Lee. No, Miller never won a title, but the five-time All-Star is one of seven players to ever shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent or better from three-point range and 90 percent or better from the charity stripe (50-40-90 club) over a full season, as explained by Fox Sports Wisconsin. When Miller retired, he held the all-time record for most three-pointers made. 

Per Land of Basketball , only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain tallied more scoring titles than George Gervin, who is tied with both Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson with four to his name. Gervin averaged over 21 points per game in 13 of 14 seasons during his career, and the nine-time All-Star is ninth all time in NBA career PPG (26.18). "The Iceman" was also the godfather of the finger roll. 

Clyde Drexler's biggest basketball sin was that the 10-time All-Star was "The Glyde" at the same time Michael Jordan dominated the league. Never the NBA's best overall star, Drexler finished second behind M.J. in MVP voting for the 1991-92 campaign, and the underrated defender still sits 48th overall in defensive win shares. Drexler finally won the ring that eluded him as a member of the Houston Rockets team that swept the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals. 

Houston Rockets guard James Harden making a mockery of record books during the 2018-19 campaign may raise the stock of the reigning league MVP if he retains that trophy for a second straight year. What if, however, Kobe Bryant was right when he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols in February 2019 that Harden and the Rockets can't win a title via Harden lighting scoreboards up as a one-man team? Harden may be the best scorer since Kobe, but "The Beard" is missing a noticeable item inside his personal trophy case. 

Allen Iverson was so special that he makes the lists for both the greatest point guards and shooting guards in history. Per CBS New York, LeBron James called A.I. "pound-for-pound, probably the greatest player who ever played" back in 2013, and the King isn't the only person to voice that opinion. The diminutive 6-foot guard won regular-season MVP honors for the 2000-01 campaign, and he earned four scoring titles while carrying Philadelphia 76ers sides further than they deserved. 

Some may view calling Dwyane Wade the greatest sidekick in NBA history an insult for such a tremendous player who already has his place in the Hall of Fame reserved. Don't. Even before LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, D-Wade showed he could be the man for a championship side, and Wade's willingness to adapt to playing alongside the King en route to winning two additional titles shouldn't be discounted. Now affectionately known as "Father Prime," the MVP of the 2006 Finals will exit the NBA stage following the 2019 playoffs. 

No, Kobe Bryant wasn't the next Michael Jordan, but the gap that separates Kobe from Michael may be as large as the one that separates Bryant from the rest of the pack. Five rings, 18 All-Star nods, a pair of NBA Finals MVP trophies and the 2007-08 regular season MVP award make for a ridiculous haul. Bryant remains third all-time in career scoring as of the end of the 2018-19 season, with LeBron James not far behind. 

Here's the question you have to ask yourself: If your life was on the line over a basketball game and you could pick your starting shooting guard, are you selecting Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant if forced to choose only one of the two for your lineup? Don't be a hero, don't reinvent the wheel and don't rewrite the Bible here. You know about Jordan's six rings, six NBA Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP trophies. M.J. was a nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection who thrice led the league in steals the same seasons he won scoring titles. No other resume at the position is close to matching Jordan's.