All-Star Former Blazer Refuses to Call Steph Curry Greatest Point Guard Ever

Does he have a point, or is he being unfair?

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; United States point guard Stephen Curry (4) celebrates with Carmelo Anthony in the second half against France in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Let's just get this out of the way before we dive into the subject: Magic Johnson is the best NBA point guard of all time, full stop.

The 6-foot-9 former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, a five-time champion, three-time MVP and 12-time All-Star, completely revitalized and reinvented the point guard position, using his size and passing creativity to change the way NBA offenses were run.

To his credit, 10-time All-Star Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, a four-time champion and two-time MVP, has also changed the game in his own era. But Curry is not a traditional point guard. He's an above-average passer for his position, yes, but he is a score-first guard, who at 6-foot-3 and without elite speed is essentially a point guard, and not a shooting guard, by necessity. Curry is basically a more volume-shooting Reggie Miller in point guard form, during an era where the 3-pointer was heavily emphasized.

Curry is one of the best players ever, of that there is no doubt. Forget Johnson. Is Curry even a "better" point guard than Hall of Famers like former Cincinnati Royals/Milwaukee Bucks guard Oscar Robertson or former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West, the latter of whom toggled between both guard spots?

Former Portland Trail Blazers bench forward Carmelo Anthony, who arrived in Rip City far beyond his Hall of Fame prime and played from 2019-21, recently rejected the concept that Curry might be the best point guard ever, during a recent episode of his podcast "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero."

The Kid Mero, Anthony's cohost, wondered if Curry had earned point guard GOAT status thanks to his superlative play during Team USA's final two games in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"He's the greatest shooter I've ever seen," Anthony said, while ultimately refraining from calling Curry the best point guard ever. "He's a hell of a player. F--- best shooter, f--- best point [guard], he's one of the greatest players to ever grace this game. And I don't think we probably will ever see this again, so let's appreciate this window, what we have with Steph."

Curry, at 36, has shown some signs of slippage in terms of winning impact. His Warriors finished just 46-36 in 2023-24, which would have been solid in the Eastern Conference, but was enough for just the tenth seed in the West. Golden State was blown out in its play-in tournament game by the Sacramento Kings, and missed the playoffs entirely. The Warriors have retooled over the summer, replacing a departing Klay Thompson with three intriguing vets in guards De'Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield, plus forward Kyle Anderson.

More Trail Blazers: Zion Williamson's Long-Term Fitness Questioned by All-Star Former Portland Forward