(Photo by Rashad Milligan for rolling out)
Stephen Curry has won his fourth and, without a shadow of a doubt, most difficult championship as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Curry silenced doubters during the series as he stepped up his defense and locked in on offense as the No. 1 option to win his first Finals MVP. This past season, he solidified himself as the greatest shooter ever and it’s time to reevaluate where he ranks among the game’s greatest point guards.
He’s not in the top 27 of all time for assist leaders, a category still led by John Stockton. He’s also not in the top 27 of all time for scoring leaders, a category led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with LeBron James expected to pass it soon. His career averages, however, are 24.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Those numbers surpass Stockton in every category except for assists and steals, and the same goes for Isaiah Thomas. Magic Johnson, on the other hand, beats Curry in every category except for points. Johnson also has one more championship than Curry.
While Curry changed basketball forever, is the greatest shooter ever, and one of the best players ever, he still can’t be called the greatest point guard of all time. Here is rolling out‘s top 5 list of the greatest NBA point guards to ever play the game.
5. Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- Six NBA championships
- 1956-57 NBA MVP
- Eight-time assist champ
- 18.4 points/7.5 assists/5.2 rebounds career average
4. John Stockton, Utah Jazz
- NBA’s all-time assists leader
- Five-time all-defensive team
- 13.1 points/10.5 assists/3.6 rebounds career average
3. Isaiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons
- Two NBA championships
- 1984-85 assist champ
- 1989-90 Finals MVP
- 19.2 points/9.3 assists/3.6 rebounds career average
2. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Four NBA championships
- NBA’s all-time 3-point leader
- Two-time NBA MVP
- Two-time scoring champ
- 2021-22 Finals MVP
- 25.5 points/6.3 assists/5.2 rebounds career average
1. Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
- Five NBA championships
- Four-time assist champ
- Three-time MVP
- Two-time steals champ
- 19.5 points/11.2 assists/7.2 rebounds
