Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar names the greatest point guard in NBA history

The NBA is widely regarded as the pinnacle of basketball, making the debate over the greatest player of all time a challenging one. However, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul–Jabbar weighed in on who he considers to be the greatest point guard in NBA history.

Abdul-Jabbar, who held the NBA‘s all-time scoring record until LeBron James surpassed him, remains one of the most iconic figures in the history of the league. He has won the MVP award six times—more than any other player—and is a six-time NBA champion.

During an interview with PIX11 News in 2023, Abdul-Jabbar caused a stir when he named a surprising player as the greatest point guard of all time, leaving out his former Lakers teammate Magic Johnson and current superstar Stephen Curry.

“I don’t think you’re going to want to hear this, but Oscar Robertson,” Abdul-Jabbar explained. “I only had a chance to play with him at the end of his career but he was awesome. And if people had seen him play in the prime of his career and with the 3-point shot. Oscar had 3-point range, but he never got to play when the 3-point shot was incorporated into the game”.

Oscar Robertson, winner of the 2017-2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, poses in the backstage photo room with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson played together on the Milwaukee Bucks later in Robertson’s career, and while his choice of Robertson over Magic Johnson or Curry was controversial, Abdul-Jabbar would later clarify his stance.

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Abdul-Jabbar’s change of heart

Abdul-Jabbar’s remarks particularly caught the attention of Lakers fans, many of whom wondered why he didn’t name Magic Johnson, with whom he won five NBA championships with the Lakers, as the greatest point guard.

The following day, Abdul-Jabbar took to social media to set the record straight and acknowledge Johnson’s place in history as one of the league’s best point guards.

“I picked Oscar Robertson, but I should have said, first of all, that Magic really should get the priority because I played with him, we won five world championships together, and he’s my best teammate ever,” Abdul-Jabbar said in the video. “So I can’t put anybody else in front of him”.

“But I have to give credit to Oscar for being the complete player that he was, and an example for a whole lot of players that come up behind him,” he added. “It’s almost impossible for me to determine who’s the best between all of those guys. But I can tell you why, that’s the success I enjoyed with Magic”.