Today, we move on to the shooting guard position and count down the five greatest from each decade throughout NBA history. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade are the three names that come to mind first when it comes to the greatest to play the position in NBA history, but what about the other shooting guards who have contributed to the position’s place in the history books?

As per usual, the decades we will use for this breakdown are as follows:

1950-1959

1960-1969

1970-1979

1980-1989

1990-1999

2000-2009

2010-2019

2020-Present

We will travel through each period in NBA history from the 1950s when the pioneers of the position laid the groundwork for future generations through the current days of the NBA, where the talent and skill level are at an all-time high.

These are the five greatest shooting guards in NBA history by decade from the 1950s to the present day.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 1950s

1. Bill Sharman

2. Carl Braun

3. Frankie Brian

4. Richie Guerin

5. Paul Seymour

The 1950s were not a time when big names dominated the sport from the shooting guard spot. Of course, Bill Sharman is the biggest and greatest name for his nine seasons of play from 1951 through 1959 with the Washington Capitols and the Boston Celtics. Sharman was a sharpshooter and one of the greatest free throw shooters in NBA history, winning two NBA titles with the Celtics during the 50s. He averaged 17.8 points per game on 42.2% shooting and earned eight All-Star selections and seven All-NBA Team selections during the 50s.

Carl Braun was a shooting guard for the New York Knicks for his entire career from 1948 through 1962. During the 1950s, Braun would serve two years in the U.S. Army before returning to become a five-time All-Star averaging 14.4 points and 4.0 assists per game on 39.1% shooting. Braun would lead the Knicks to five playoff appearances during the decade with two All-NBA Team selections but would not capture an NBA title until the 60s with the Boston Celtics.

Frankie Brian is another relatively unknown name from the 1950s who played seven seasons from 1950-1956 with the Anderson Packers, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Fort Wayne Pistons. In his seven seasons, Brian would earn two All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections averaging 12.3 points and 2.6 assists per game on 34.0% shooting. Although he never won an NBA title, Brian led the Pistons to five playoff appearances including back-to-back Finals in 1955 and 1956.

Richie Guerin has only three seasons that qualify for the 1950s but played just well enough to sneak in at the bottom of this list. It was Guerin’s first three seasons in the NBA with the Knicks in which he averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Guering would earn two All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection in the decade making him the fourth-best shooting guard of the decade.

The fifth and final best shooting guard of the 1950s was Paul Seymour of the Syracuse Nationals. Seymour played all 10 seasons of the 1950s and averaged 9.7 points and 3.9 assists per game on 35.2% shooting. During this time, he earned three All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections with the Nationals. His biggest moment would come in 1955 with Syracuse as they went on to win the NBA title behind 12.5 points and 6.8 assists per game from Seymour.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 1960s

1. Jerry West

2. Sam Jones

3. Hal Greer

4. Dick Barnett

5. Jerry Sloan

In the 1960s, the competition would get much more fierce at the shooting guard position, starting with one of the greatest players in NBA history, The Logo, Jerry West. In the 1960s, there weren’t many guards like West who could shoot from long distance and play incredible defense to match. From 1961 through 1969 with the Lakers, West earned nine All-Star selections, eight All-NBA Team selections, and an All-Defensive Team selection in 1969. Also in 1969, West earned a Finals MVP award with the Lakers as the only player to ever do so in a losing effort. West averaged 27.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game during this time.

Sam Jones would play the entire decade of the 1960s with the Boston Celtics when he went on to become one of the winningest players in NBA history. Jones helped the Celtics win nine NBA titles during the 1960s averaging 19.3 points per game on 45.8% shooting. On top of the championship hardware, Jones would also earn five All-Star selections and three All-NBA Team selections and go down as one of the greatest players in Celtics history.

Hal Greer, despite being a Top 75 player ever, is still one of the most underrated guards in NBA history. Greer played the entire decade of the ’60s with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers averaging 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. In 1967, he would help lead the team to an NBA title with 27.7 points per game in the playoffs. He was an All-Star nine times during the 1960s as well as an All-NBA Team selection nine times, all to the Second Team.

Dick Barnett got his start in the 1960 season with the Syracuse Nationals and played the entire decade with both them and the New York Knicks. During this time, Barnett would average 17.4 points per game on 45.8% shooting with one All-Star appearance in 1968. Barnett is one of the greatest players in New York Knicks history and would go on to help them win two NBA titles in the 1970s toward the end of his career.

The final shooting guard of the 1960s is none other than two-way star and famous Utah Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan. During the 1960s, Sloan played four seasons with the Chicago Bulls averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Sloan was a defensive savant for the Bulls during this time, forming one of the game’s best backcourts with Norm Van Lier. In 1969, Sloan earned the first of five All-Defensive First Team selections in his career.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 1970s

1. Jerry West

2. George Gervin

3. Pete Maravich

4. David Thompson

5. Earl Monroe

The 1970s was yet another very strong era for the shooting guard position, still ruled by the logo himself, Jerry West. From 1970 through 1974 were not the best years of West’s career but they were still enough to be considered the greatest shooting guard of that decade. He averaged 26.1 points, 8.7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game while also leading the Lakers to an NBA title in 1972. He was an All-Star five more times as well as a scoring champion in 1970, a four-time All-NBA Team selection, and a four-time All-Defensive Team selection.

George Gervin is second in NBA history in scoring titles at the shooting guard position with four total. Two of them came in the 1970s after coming over from the ABA. He was an All-Star all three seasons during the ‘70s that he played as well as a three-time All-NBA Team selection. During these three seasons, he averaged 26.6 points, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game and missed just two games in total.

Pete Maravich was an innovator and master of the shooting guard position during the 1970s with some of the greatest handles we have ever seen. He played nine seasons with the Hawks and Jazz during the decade, averaging 25.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He would earn all five of his All-Star appearances during the decade and his only career scoring title in 1977 averaging 31.1 points per game on 43.3% shooting.

David Thompson was nicknamed “Skywalker” for the simple fact that he looked like he could walk on air every time he took off for an acrobatic dunk or layup. Despite his issues off the court and playing only three seasons in the decade, he averaged 25.7 points, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Denver Nuggets on 51.3% shooting. Thompson would be a three-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, and two-time All-Star Game MVP during those three seasons as well.

The final greatest shooting guard of the decade would be Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. Splitting time with the Bullets and Knicks during the decade, Monroe would help lead the Knicks to an NBA championship in 1973. He averaged 18.3 points on 46.9% shooting during the decade as well as earning three All-Star selections. Monroe would retire following the 1980 season with the Knicks and is one of the 25 greatest players in franchise history.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 1980s

1. Michael Jordan

2. Sidney Moncrief

3. Joe Dumars

4. George Gervin

5. Clyde Drexler

One man ruled the 1980s from the shooting guard position and that man’s name was Michael Jordan. Despite being unsuccessful in his pursuit of an NBA championship just yet, Jordan dominated the stat sheets with three of his 10 career scoring titles averaging 32.6 points per game on 51.3% shooting. Jordan would also take home a steals title in 1988 en route to an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award.

Sidney Moncrief was Jordan’s greatest competition during the 1980s at the shooting guard position. Moncrief played with the Bucks for the entirety of the 1980s decade, averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Moncrief would win the first two Defensive Player of the Year awards in NBA history in 1983 and 1984 as well as five All-Star selections, five All-NBA Team selections, and five All-Defensive Team selections

Joe Dumars was another formidable opponent for Jordan during the 1980s with legendary battles between the two during the Pistons-Bulls rivalry. Although Dumars played just four seasons during the decade, in 1988, he helped lead the Pistons to an NBA championship while also taking home Finals MVP in a series win over the Lakers. He was also a member of the All-Defensive First Team in 1989.

George Gervin continued his scoring and overall dominance during the 1980s with the Spurs and Bulls. Gervin would play seven more seasons in the 1980s and capture two more scoring titles averaging 26.0 points per game overall on 49.8% shooting. He would also earn six more All-Star selections and four All-NBA Team selections during this time.

Clyde Drexler was another statistically great shooting guard during the 1980s who fell just short of an NBA championship until the 1990s hit. Drexler played six seasons from 1984 through 1989 with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. In those six seasons, he would earn three All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection as well.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 1990s

1. Michael Jordan

2. Clyde Drexler

3. Reggie Miller

4. Mitch Richmond

5. Joe Dumars

The 1990s continued to be a strong era for NBA shooting guards but none even came close to what Michael Jordan accomplished in the decade. Jordan solidified himself as the GOAT during the 1990s by leading the Bulls to six NBA championships while winning an NBA-record six Finals MVP awards. He would also claim seven more scoring titles during this time, averaging 30.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game on 50.1% shooting.

Clyde Drexler would slide into the second spot for shooting guards during the 1990s for what he did for the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. With Portland, he would lead them to two NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992, losing to two of the greatest dynasties ever in the Pistons and Bulls. In 1995 with the Rockets, Drexler would finally capture an NBA championship alongside Hakeem Olajuwon. In nine seasons in the 90s, he averaged 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

Reggie Miller is one of the greatest clutch players and three-point shooters in NBA history. Miller came into the NBA with the Pacers in 1988 and went on to remain with the team for the entirety of his career. Miller would earn four All-Star selections during the 1990s with the Pacers along with three All-NBA Team selections. From 1990 through 1999, he averaged 21.0 points per game on 48.2% shooting overall and 40.5% shooting from three.

Mitch Richmond is still one of the most underrated players in NBA history. During the 1990s with the Warriors and Kings, Richmond would score the fourth-most points of the decade averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on 45.9% shooting. He earned six All-Star appearances and five All-NBA Team selections during the 1990s and would finally get his lone NBA championship with the Lakers in 2002.

The final shooting guard ranked for the 1990s is Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons. In 1990, Dumars helped the Pistons go back-to-back as NBA champions with his first All-Star appearance averaging 17.8 points per game. Dumars would go on to make six All-Star appearances during the decade along with three All-NBA Team selections and four All-Defensive Team selections.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 2000s

1. Kobe Bryant

2. Dwyane Wade

3. Allen Iverson

4. Tracy McGrady

5. Vince Carter

The 2000s is where the shooting guard position really began to take off in terms of talent all across the NBA. Kobe Bryant is the overwhelming greatest of the decade, helping lead the Lakers to four NBA championships from 2000-2009 including a three-peat from 2000-2002. Bryant would also add two scoring titles in 2006 and 2007, an MVP award in 2008, and a Finals MVP award in 2009. From 2000-2009, Bryant averaged 28.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 45.7% shooting. He would earn 10 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA Team selections, and nine All-Defensive Team selections as well.

Dwyane Wade is one of the better two-way shooting guards in NBA history and was the peak version of himself during the 2000s. Breaking into the NBA in 2004, Wade would lead the Miami Heat to their first championship in NBA history in 2006 while also claiming Finals MVP honors. Wade would average 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game during the 2000s, earning five All-Star selections, four All-NBA Team selections, and two All-Defensive Team selections.

Allen Iverson is one of the most electrifying and talented scorers in NBA history. During the 2000s, Iverson set the league on fire with his relentless scoring and will to succeed. In 2001, Iverson was named MVP with one of three scoring titles he earned during the decade as well as one of his three steals titles. From 2000 through 2009 with the 76ers and Nuggets, Iverson averaged 28.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game on 42.4% shooting with 10 All-Star selections and six All-NBA Team selections.

Tracy McGrady is another one of the most talented scorers in NBA history with a prime cut down by injuries. McGrady spent the majority of the decade with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets averaging 24.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. McGrady won back-to-back scoring titles in 2003 and 2004 with the Magic as well as seven All-Star selections, seven All-NBA Team selections, and a Most Improved Player award in 2001.

Vince Carter is the final shooting guard to be ranked in the top five for the 2000s. Carter set the NBA ablaze with his incredible athleticism, particularly his performance in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. Carter was a star during the 2000s mainly with the Raptors and Nets, averaging 23.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Carter would be selected to eight All-Star teams and two All-NBA Teams during the 2000s as well and go on to play 21 seasons in the NBA with eight different teams.

The 5 Greatest Shooting Guards Of The 2010s

1. James Harden

2. Kobe Bryant

3. Dwyane Wade

4. Klay Thompson

5. Jimmy Butler

The 2010s continued the tradition of superstar talent at the shooting guard position with five top players representing the decade. At the top of the list lies James Harden who captured three scoring titles, an assists title, and an MVP award in 2018. Kobe Bryant comes in just behind him with his elite performances, especially in 2010 when he led the Lakers to his fifth NBA championship and second straight Finals MVP award. In the 2010s, Bryant would average 24.7 points per game and earn six All-Star selections before his retirement in 2016.

Dwyane Wade gets the vote for the third spot for his time with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Chicago Bulls. From 2011 through 2014, Wade helped lead the Heat to four straight NBA Finals appearances with back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. Klay Thompson would emerge as one of the best shooting guards of the 2010s as well, using his elite three-point shooting to help the Warriors capture three of their four total NBA championships.

The final player ranked in the top five for shooting guards in the 2010s is none other than Jimmy Butler. From 2012 through 2019, Butler would earn four All-Star appearances with the Bulls, Timberwolves, and 76ers averaging 16.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game on 45.4% shooting.

The 5 Best Shooting Guards Of The 2020s

1. Devin Booker

2. Donovan Mitchell

3. Paul George

4. James Harden

5. Zach LaVine

For most of the last four-plus seasons, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell have been neck and neck for the title of the best shooting guard in basketball. For now, that title sits with Booker who has been one of the most efficient three-level scorers in the game with three All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection to his name this decade as well as a Finals appearance in 2021.

Donovan Mitchell has shown he isn’t scared of the big moments either with four All-Star selections and an All-NBA Team selection under his belt. Since 2020, Mitchell has averaged 26.2 points per game on 45.7% shooting overall and 37.2% shooting from three. Paul George made the switch from small forward to shooting guard in 2020 after joining forces with Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers. Since that time, amid injury issues, George has been a two-time All-Star averaging 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game on 45.0% shooting.

The final two top shooting guards for the 2020s thus far are James Harden and Zach LaVine. Harden has come under intense scrutiny over the last few seasons due to his demands to be traded from team to team but has remained a devastating force on the court with 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 9.6 assists per game. Zach LaVine’s talent is undeniable as the two-time All-Star has shown on numerous occasions. His lack of impact on team success has kept him from moving further up this list but 25.4 points on 47.7% shooting is nothing to let go by the wayside.