Welcome back to the “Greatest Ever” series as we continue to look deeply into the NBA’s history and rank the top guards ever. Both guard positions (point guard and shooting guard) are absolutely stacked with decades worth of candidates to choose from.
So who are the greatest guards in NBA history? Let’s count them down from 25 to 1, starting with an honorable mention that didn’t quite make the cut…
Honorable Mention: Chauncey Billups
It’s crazy to think how much of a career Chauncey Billups made for himself despite doing very little before he finally got to Detroit at age 26. Billups was traded five times, including each of his first three seasons. He was worth the wait for the Pistons, who made six straight Conference Finals with Billups as their best player.
Detroit made the Finals twice and won it all in 2004, and Mr. Big Shot was named Finals MVP, an apt nickname for a guy consistently even better in the playoffs than in the regular season.
