NBA Rankings: Top 10 shooting guards in the history of the league

#8 George Gervin

The Iceman.

Iceman George Gervin played just ten NBA seasons, but his game truly made lots of noise in the league.

The Pacers (w/ "Secretary of Defense" Dudley Bradley) once held a promotion saying everybody in the arena would get free chicken if they held George Gervin to under 30He scored 25 at the half & yelled "No chicken tonight" to the crowd on his way to 55 pic.twitter.com/0Bop3iyiTn https://t.co/OKYCPZTBEK

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 15, 2020

Gervin was a premier scorer who dominated the scoring championship during his prime. He played in the league from the 1976-77 season till the 1985-86 one, leading scoring champions during that span with four. Adrian Dantley was the only other player to win more than one scoring title during that period.

Gervin played for the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls during his illustrious NBA career. He was named in the NBA All-Star game in each of his first nine years in the league.

During his career, Gervin averaged 26 points (ninth in NBA history) and five rebounds per game on 51% shooting from the field.

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#7 Reggie Miller

Reggie Miller was beyond clutch.

He led a franchise for 18 years and took them to the NBA Playoffs on as many as 15 occasions. Reggie Miller is one of the ten greatest shooting guards of all time; he is arguably the most clutch shooter in NBA history as well.

Miller made a career of hitting big shots in the playoffs time and time again; he even helped the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals in 2000. His teams usually ran into more talented rivals (Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls or the LA Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant), but Miller was always in the mix with the Pacers.

He was named in just five All-Star Games and three All-NBA teams, but his career transcended beyond numbers. Nevertheless, he averaged 18 points, three rebounds and three assists per game in the regular season.

Miller's career shooting splits of 47/40/89 are a testament to his unbelievable shooting prowess.

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#6 Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler was solid in his position and could lead a team.

Clyde Drexler certainly deserves a spot in this ranking, as he was one of the premier shooting guards in the NBA during his career.

Drexler led the Portland Trail Blazers twice to the NBA Finals, where they lost to legendary teams like the 'Bad Boys' Pistons (1990) and Jordan's Chicago Bulls (1992).

Drexler, however, won the NBA title later in his career when he reunited with his former teammate at the University of Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon. The 1995 Rockets successfully defended their title (as the sixth seeds), with Drexler playing a key role in that title run.

His career averages were 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals per game on 47% shooting. In the Playoffs, Drexler averaged 20/7/6 in his career on 45% shooting.

Drexler was named ten times in the NBA All-Star Games and earned five All-NBA selections.

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#5 James Harden

2018 NBA Awards - Inside

An NBA MVP and three-time scoring champion, James Harden has already earned legendary stature in his career. Even though he has not found a way to the NBA Finals as his team's leader, 'The Beard' is already among the elite in NBA history.

James Harden GOES OFF for 25 1st-half points!@HoustonRockets 63@Lakers 55#NBAPlayoffs on ESPN pic.twitter.com/lvJbUmDsaP

— NBA (@NBA) September 5, 2020

Harden has led the league in scoring in the last three years and had previously been the assist champion in the 2016-17 NBA campaign.

He is a versatile scorer who has the ability to find his teammates in the right spots. Granted, Mike D'Antoni's offensive scheme helped him add that to his attacking game, but Harden was the one executing on the floor.

Harden has a career average of 25 points per game while also averaging five rebounds and six assists per game. He is a 44% shooter from the field, but he shoots well from the three (36%) and is incredible at getting to the FT line.

He has led the league in free throws made in the last six years while shooting 86% from the line in his career. Harden also has eight All-Star appearances and, most importantly, seven All-NBA selections in his career.