The 5 best shooting guards in NBA history

We are moving forward with a look at the best 5 all-time NBA players at each position. After writing about point guards, it’s now time to focus on their backcourt partners – the shooting guards.

This position was historically dominated by amazing players, but we decided to keep our focus on the modern era. We believe that this period is when 2-guards reached their peak especially with three point shooting becoming increasingly important and players becoming so great at it. Still, the very essence of this position remains in the word “shooting” or even better scoring and that is again what the players below are all about.

We will also repeat this sort of a disclaimer: it is basically not possible to look at these lists from a purely objective standpoint, meaning there will be subjective opinions from our team members who contributed and we would certainly like to hear your opinions as well in the comment sections of our social media channels!

1. Michael Jordan

Yes, this list will not be a typical countdown since that would imply uncertainty. There is no such thing here, as MJ is not only the greatest shooting guard of all time, but also the GOAT basketball player according to so many fans from various generations all over the world even to this day. It would be extremely difficult to single out all of “His Airness” achievements or point out his most amazing performance, but we think that the Chicago Bulls icon received one of the greatest compliments ever by one of the greatest basketball players ever:

“I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan,” – Larry Bird said after MJ scored 63 points against Boston in the 1986 Playoffs.

What makes this so meaningful is the fact that Larry Legend was known as a vicious trash-talker and definitely not someone who would say nice things about his opponents.

2. Kobe Bryant

The Black Mamba will live forever! Kobe’s legendary career as well as the influence he had on so many players at all levels of the game after he retired and tragically passed away are truly amazing and inspiring. Ever since he made it to the Los Angeles Lakers as a young kid from high school, everything he achieved was legendary. Again, it would take too much time to single out everything Kobe was successful in both on and off the court, so we decided to highlight the fact the he even managed to become an Oscar (Academy Award) winner for the Dear Basketball short animated film written and narrated by him!

3. Ray Allen

Some think that playing for as many as four teams during his NBA career hurts Ray’s legacy. We disagree, as there are so many fans in Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Miami who are happy and proud that “Jesus Shuttlesworth” repped their cities and played a major role on championship teams for the latter two of the four. On top of this, the nickname we mentioned is related to his starring role in one of the greatest basketball movies ever which raises the question if there was anything that he wasn’t great at? He was definitely way more than just a lights-out shooter as most remember him.

4. Reggie Miller

8 points in 9 seconds. This is the only thing you need to know about this cold-blooded baller. If you need more details, just ask any New York Knicks fan about how great he was or find an Indiana Pacers fan who could without a doubt talk about him for hours.

5. Klay Thompson

  • record breaking 37 points in a single quarter
  • career high 60 points in a game during just 29 minutes
  • most 3-pointers in an NBA game with 14 steals
  • 43 points in a single game while dribbling the ball just four times


On top of this, he is also a really fun and interesting guy so consider giving him a follow on IG!

Just like his Golden State Warriors “Splash Brother” Steph Curry he is also responsible for helping revolutionize the game making us again grateful that we can still watch Klay perform at such a high level.

This wraps it up until next time and the small forward position!