5 great Point Guards Tony Parker is better than

Playing alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker's success with the San Antonio Spurs is often overlooked due to the team he played for. Under coach Greg Popovich, Tony Parker was able to hone his skills, which placed him among the best point guards in NBA history.

In his career, Parker has been a four-time champion, an NBA Finals MVP, a six-time All-Star, and a three-time member of the All-NBA Second Team.

Here are the 5 great point guards that Tony Parker is better than.

5) Lenny Wilkens

During his time in the NBA, he played eight seasons for the St. Louis Hawks at the start of his career. Wilkens then went on to play four seasons with the Seattle Supersonics, two seasons with the Cavaliers, and one season with the Trail Blazers.

For his career, he was a nine-time All-Star, the NBA's assist leader (1970), and a member of the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams.

Head-to-head, Parker was able to accomplish more during his time playing in the league. Season after season, Tony Parker was one of the more efficient guards in the NBA, with a knack for running the Spurs team.

4) John Wall

Injuries aside, John Wall's speed easily rivaled Tony Parker's in his prime. Selected first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft, Wall would finish nine seasons with the franchise.

During his career, he is a five-time All-Star, making the All-Defensive Second Team (2015) and All-NBA Third Team (2017).

Similar to the comparison made to Lenny Wilkens, Parker accomplished more while also having a good offensive package to his game. He was a great driver with his speed and had a reliable mid-range jumper to boot.

3) Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry is an interesting comparison, as he is an NBA champion (2019) and a six-time All-Star.

Offensively, Parker easily rivaled Lowry's offensive package. With what Tony Parker lacked in strength compared to Lowry's build, the Spurs guard made it up for finesse in his finishing.

2) Kyrie Irving

Recognized as one of the most elite scoring guards in the NBA, Kyrie Irving won a championship in 2016, while also being an eight-time All-Star. Irving is also part of the 50-40-90 club.

One of the biggest criticisms made for Irving is his unreliable nature after his time in Cleveland. This was first seen during his second season with the Boston Celtics as he struggled to perform to his standards as he was already looking to move to the Brooklyn Nets.

Since then, it has been a consistent pattern with Irving, often resulting in analysts questioning his lack of a team-first mentality.

1) Rajon Rondo

Similarly to Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo played for a Boston Celtics team with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.

Rondo was able to succeed as the team's floor general because of his incredible basketball IQ and feel for the game. He is a two-time champion and a four-time All-Star. Rondo also made the All-Defensive First Team twice and is even a three-time assist leader.

Head-to-head, Parker won more at the prime of his career and remained an effective point guard in the 17 seasons he played with the Spurs. This was most evident during the 2010s.

Looking back on Spurs coach Greg Popovich's comments on Tony Parker as the best point guard

In an article written by SLAM, Spurs coach Greg Popovich talked about Tony Parker as the best point guard in the 2012–13 season, as reported by Express-News.

"I think he's played better than any point guard in the league if you want to be totally frank about the whole deal," Popovich said. "It's hard to pick somebody who's had a better year than he's had at that position, leading his team to this point in the season."

Around the league at the time, Parker was matched up against some of the league's best Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Stephen Curry. Even past his prime, Tony Parker reached a veteran level of maturity in his game that rivaled the best point guards at the time.

In his time playing for the Spurs, he averaged 15.8 points per game (49.2% shooting, including 32.6% from 3-point range) and 5.7 assists.