In the NBA, guards leading teams to championships have been rare, with only 22 of the 77 championship teams being led by guards. Notably, 18 of these titles were won by six all-time great guards: Stephen Curry, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. This season, the NBA sees a shift with four guards—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Haliburton—leading their teams in the conference finals. Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP this season, is on a trajectory similar to the greatest guards ever. Haliburton and Edwards, both young, could be on meteoric rises toward the pantheon. Brunson, a former second-round pick, has consistently been among the NBA’s top 10 players and could be a historical anomaly like Dennis Johnson and Chauncey Billups. This playoffs remind us of all-time greats, suggesting these current guards belong among them.
