The Top 10 Greatest Passers in NBA History

My list of the Top 10 greatest passers in NBA History... according to me, of course.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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#nba #basketball #hoops

[@jonnyarnett]

I've been kinda in a Top 10/Top 5s mood lately... What are some other Top 10/Top 5 videos you would like to see??

[@owensmith2137]

Top 10 role players of all time, top 10 enforcers of all time, top 10 worst chokes of all time (game and/or series), top 10 best team rivalries, top 10 worst teams of all time, top 10 most overrated players of all time, ect.

[@isaacagbaku4551]

overrated players

[@lolz643]

Players or coaches that milked the most from their one shining moment. Like the 2008 celtics or kyrie Irving's "shot"

[@stevenmichienzi9833]

I would add Kevin Porter in honorable mentions, 4-time league leader in assists, and starting point guard for the Bullets in the 1975 Finals

[@user-zj5bi9sz4i]

I don't know if you have done something similar before but maybe like top 10 most versatile players? or all round something like that

[@alexandrefaure4576]

I have Bird in the top 10. And Luka as an honorable mention, he's very young but he is special

[@CT-yr8ph]

very generous to bird. he was a great passer don’t get me wrong but there are way too many strong passers to have him in top 10

[@Luso00_]

A lot of those players are interchangeable. All great passers!

[@kenw2225]

Lol stop it. Bird was the guy to dish

[@sgardner4313]

@@CT-yr8ph There are strong passers, sure, but Bird is definitely up there. I'd definitely put him above a number of people on this list

[@lukekiefer5964]

@@CT-yr8phI’d have him top 7 easily. His court awareness and IQ have to play into his “passing skill”. His touch passes, left and right hand, behind the back/head, pass and shot fakes, and full court passes easily put him above multiple guys on this list. I’d suggest you watch the video “Larry Bird the Greatest Passer Ever”. Bob Cousy is also on this list

[@malafakka8530]

I am pretty casual, but I feel like Bird should have made the list. I am mostly talking from watching highlights, but those were some absolutely incredible passes. Of course, mine is a very limited viewpoint. Maybe it is just me and you need to have them, but I am not quite sure how you really weigh your criteria in these rankings (not a serious fan of rankings anyway, but they are always entertaining). Personally, i wouldn't care too much about longevity as long as a player has 7-10 good/great seasons especially when you compare eras because careers tended to be shorter due to different circumstances in earlier decades.

[@jamespuso1627]

I quite agree that going by the eye test Bird should have made it but by the criteria he listed Bird only had winning, averaged like 6 assists on his career and turned the ball over a lot.

[@clifflawrence7479]

@@jamespuso1627 LeBron averaged 3.5 or more turnovers per game 9 times. Bird only averaged that 1 time in a 13 year career. This list is very biased.

[@MS-zv4bf]

Bird did not turn the ball over a lot. He averaged 3.1 turnovers during his career. LeBron has the highest percentage in NBA history. ​@@jamespuso1627

[@golden10ful]

From what i saw in the film of bob cousey in the video is that he does a weirdly good job of passing to a person while simultaneously staying infront of his defender creating a decent amount of space for his team to get a decent shot off

[@TheIcemanthomas]

He is the original

[@MS-zv4bf]

@@TheIcemanthomas The Houdini of the Hardwood is 95 years old now. Watching him play was amazing.

[@dennisdezarn5895]

Larry Bird is a top 5 passer all time. He was every bit as magical as Magic just from the small forward spot. And power forward spot for his first few seasons. Thats a flagrant on you, Johnny.😢

[@davidc.lalnelawma4776]

His shooting and trash talking are so legendary that his other skills get underrated

[@gibgiuseppe]

I agree, but based on the criteria Johnny is using, the list is correct

[@onlyfacts3178]

​@@gibgiuseppeoh really explain it😂 because he talks about longevity but then doesnt use it on Stockton who lead the league on assists 10 Times at the same time Magic was playing...

[@javigar133]

Totally agree, I would only Accept Magic and Stockton ahead of Larry Ñegend

[@Time-To-Obligation]

Good augment, but a Little too high for me, Top 12 is more better position, Oscar Robertson deserves to be higher here, he just amazed me with his High bounce & his high gerolic Hustle to always his Teammates his best chance to make the shot

[@user-jc3pl3de8b]

Jokic should be in the top 5 and bird should be on this list also

[@jordansmith9830]

Why??? I don't think he belongs on this list

[@jaobille79]

Rondo should be here too

[@user-jc3pl3de8b]

@jordansmith9830 both are top 10 passers you must have not seen bird play

[@creasedknight6222]

Can you make a list as to who would make the Hall of Fame if the requirement for entry was as strict as it is in MLB

[@TomSports._]

That would be hard to do because basketball is a global sport and they have to look at other countries for the hall of fame unlike baseball

[@keithjoseph128]

It's not the NBA hall of fame and if you went by stats everyone would make it now.

[@wizard1687]

Also, all levels of competition are taken into consideration

[@BoricuaMMA.]

The hall of fame takes into all basketball not just the nba. Doug McDermott should make it because he's one of the greatest college players of all time. It is pretty loose with who they let in. And the people that are questionable are from the nba who don't really deserve it

[@keithjoseph128]

@@BoricuaMMA. No he's not

[@marcosmartinez8088]

Thanks for ranking Kidd propertly, he is one of my favorites. If you see the list, by far Kidd is the worst offensive player of all of them. Even thought he was pretty inconsistent in his scoring, he still wasnt an unidimensional player that defense figure it out his offensive strategy, like they did with Rondo on some point.

[@aaronbarkley539]

Kidd is an amazing defender and it's not talked about enough.

[@thesenate5913]

I mean if you can assist like Jordan could on scoring, you can be forgiven for not scoring 20pts per game

[@bballanalytics1552]

Scott Skiles had the most assists (30) in a game with the Orlando Magic (vs. Denver Nuggets) on December 30, 1990. Bob Cousy had the most assists (19) in a half with the Boston Celtics (vs. Minneapolis Lakers) on February 27, 1959. John Lucas had the most assists (14) in a quarter with the San Antonio Spurs (vs. Denver Nuggets) on April 15, 1984[. These special moments deserve honorable mentions.

[@StefIsCold]

🔥🔥🔥

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Moments and abilty are two different things. Anyone can pass the ball for a game and break a record. This is a list of all timers not on offs.

[@boydriceisawesome2520]

scott who?

[@jefferyroy2566]

​@@TheIcemanthomasA list of one-offs without a doubt. While this information is worth knowing, it is not relevant to this debate.

[@hoganshairline4175]

magic stockton def top 2. the rest can fight for 3-10

[@tdude3164]

I'm a little disappointed Larry bird isn't on this list. At the very least he should be 10

[@eddieG667]

his 2nd factor in his criteria is assist per game average and for the Celtics, it was usually DJ who had the highest assists. But yeah, Bird was an incredible passer and so was Bill Walton. That 1986 team might be the best passing team of all time.

[@dewanewelch1744]

​@@eddieG667the 86 Cetics. I'll also say the 2015 Spurs and early 2000s Kings with Williams.

[@tdude3164]

@eddieG667 that's a fair point didn't even think about that, that 86 team is one of the greatest teams I ever seen play

[@tdude3164]

@dewanewelch1744 I was hoping white chocolate made the list! But knew he wpuldnt bc he was a turnover machine lmao

[@eddieG667]

@@tdude3164 plus Jjohny’s criteria that they had to WIN and white chocolate didn’t

[@matthieusaade3616]

LeBron has no business being that high 😭. The bias is crazy, turnover is a criteria but you don't mention that LeBron is the all time leader by a mile in turnovers 😂

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

He’s the all time leader in turnovers but he’s also top 5 in assists, best APG by a forward and led the league in assists too

[@keithjoseph128]

You don't understand ratio, usage rate or possessions.

[@matthieusaade3616]

@sir.muffiniii7011 He led 1 time in 20years bro (and played only 65games btw) . That's not very good for someone who claimed to be a pass first player who has the ball in his hands all the time . But his turnovers are constantly around 4 per game, not very good

[@matthieusaade3616]

@@keithjoseph128 I understand that 7 assists a game on 4 turnovers isn't a very good ratio

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

@@matthieusaade3616 wdym he isn’t a good passer bc he only led the league once, Jokic never led the league, neither has Luka, Bird, he is 25th all time in APG, despite playing 10 years in the slowest paced era ever, and is top 5 in total assists

[@DScott-nk1lo]

Larry Bird should really be here

[@joshuastinson3013]

Great list. My only gripes are, isiah is ranked too low and you gotta get Bird on there

[@eduardoalegre9075]

By LBJ's mindset. Stockton should be number 1.

[@HopeandPeace4]

Excellent List: way to go Johnny

[@666soccermom666]

Disrespectful towards Isiah Thomas, hes definitely ahead of Bron and Cp3

[@RealStefanUrquelle]

I would have put Isaiah #2. Sometimes people let their dislike towards him cloud their judgment.

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

No lol

[@sideshowbobsaget8876]

​@@sir.muffiniii7011Yes!

[@yezzir8929]

Nice list but I believe Bird from your HM should be on the list if we are talking about how good you are at passing the ball to teammates. I understand he doesn't have the numbers but that's because he was asked to do a lot of scoring and hustle plays as well! Overall, great list Jonny!

[@jubjubhenry5612]

The quality of passes and the quality of the shots they led to combined with having the ball less than all of the other players sort of drives the point home that Larry for me is a top 5 passer ever. Also the best inbound passer I’ve ever seen.

[@rickb9327]

You Celtic fans never give up, do you? I agree, however. LB should be on this list. His son (Nicola Jokic) is on the list, so that's something.

[@eddieG667]

well, he does explain his criteria and Bird doesn't have #2

[@yezzir8929]

@@rickb9327 I'm a heat fan and a Celtics hater, I just watched him play and call it like I see it

[@jubjubhenry5612]

@@eddieG667 Yeah no for sure but I think what most people think is if your list of best passers doesn’t include Larry Bird then it’s the criteria that’s the problem. It’s not that deep like I’m not gonna beat my cat over it we all get our opinions and criteria I guess 😂

[@MGPCycling]

Bird not making the list at all is criminal. In the 80s it was regularly pondered if magic or bird was the better passer. Magic always had the ball in his hand whereas bird did not. . Only difference

[@patriciap4095]

He's an average passer.

[@jasonsalazar9711]

​@@patriciap4095 you're either trolling or an idiot.

[@ELI-521]

@@patriciap4095stop it

[@HarmanHundal01]

@@patriciap4095Bird was the top ranked non guard in APG for all years of his career except two. His APG of 6.3 is slightly less than Lebron’s 6.7 APG. But unlike Lebron he wasn’t the primary ball handler of his team. Lebron uses 31.5% of his team’s possessions, Bird used only 26.5%. That puts him above Lebron in my estimation.

[@HugoSoup57]

@@patriciap4095This is wildly incorrect. Bird was a great passer, one of the best of all time actually.

[@jp3813]

Everyone who said that Larry Bird belongs on this list should name the player that they'd remove from the list and explain why.

[@tylersouthcott3359]

He is easily an equal to Lebron as a passer. He has a strong argument for any spot 6-10. He averaged near the same assist numbers, with less turnovers than Lebron as a guy that was less ball dominant. Although Jokic is an amazing passer, he has the benefit of basically all statistical categories being inflated with how ball is played now. Floor is insane spread out, paint wide open, everyone can shoot 3s. Not diminishing Jokic just pointing out an argument. If defenses collapse at all it’s almost a guaranteed 3 and cuts lead to wide open layups/dunks Bird had the flashiness factor as much as anyone on this list outside of maybe Magic, didn’t turn the ball over an excess amount, averaged 6-7 in an era where the paint was clogged and teams had 2 guys who could shoot 3s. The longevity argument in this video is odd to me but maybe that’s just me. He definitely as an argument for the second half of the top 10

[@jp3813]

@@tylersouthcott3359 So you'd remove Jokic then.

[@tylersouthcott3359]

@@jp3813 I think you could make an argument to bump any of the 6-10. May be blasphemous but I would probably remove Oscar or Cousy first. So hard to judge them because they were so early on in basketball. From what I've seen of the eye test, Oscar has the numbers but less magnificent passes. It seems as though Cousy was far ahead of his time which gives him a slight advantage in my mind. But I admittedly know less about them other than the pure numbers and highlight clips.

[@Himmyjewett]

Bob cousy

[@jp3813]

@@Himmyjewett "...and explain why."

[@nine3seven]

Larry def deserves to be on here... honorable mention at least

[@brianholleran6340]

😂not an effing chance... honorable mention is an insult... hebis without question the best NOT PG OR BALL DOMINANT passer EVER... he is every bit the passer magic was .. i give magic the edge just because of his position... but personally i feel he was better .. had more diverse passes.... and if he played today... in the era of open lanes and palming and carrying he would easily duplicate the assists numbers of joker... he was awesome on the fast break.. certainly better than joker

[@-ac-8296]

​@@brianholleran6340yes if Bird was a point guard we would be calling Magic 'Earvin'

[@bballanalytics1552]

Chris Paul has the most secondary assists per game in a season (since tracking began 2013-14): he had 1.5 per game in the 2014-15 season which should not go overlooked.

[@kenallen4175]

Where’s Bird?

[@morganlee2806]

No Bird? I've always considered him right on a par with LeBron as the greatest non-guard passer of all time, though Jokic has entered that conversation now.

[@Nickgonelie]

Magic better be no.1

[@facelessandnameless]

Without question haha

[@shortshins]

Nah Stockton is better magic was flashier that's all.

[@SoggySlopster]

Magic played against 5’4 white plumbers and janitors. Like reddick and Gilbert say anyone can look good in the 80s

[@alphadjalo1227]

@@SoggySlopsterI hope u will be saying that about lebron and his era in 20/30 years.

[@ahankumar555]

​@@shortshinsMagic averaged more assists per game too

[@user-ww5zt9zt4s]

The Legend is one of those too without a doubt

[@jakemurphy3352]

You were right I am in my feelings about a ton of things in this video but without a doubt the craziest thing I’ve ever seen is not putting bird in the top 10. I think he’s the best passer of all time but magic is amazing

[@guccikilla360]

You don't know ball

[@jefferyroy2566]

Bird has more recorded highlights on YT and elsewhere which act as evidence for the eyes. As Jonny made clear, his analysis is about numbers and not "Wow!" moments. A stellar assists-to-turnover ratio is 3.0 for a passer. Magic has a 2.9 ratio, while Zeke is 2.48, Kidd 3, Nash 2.93 and LeBron at 2.08 trails the eight players with turnover numbers. Earvin blew my mind when he arrived in the NBA as "Magic," but more for his overall talent. Even my bias against that toe-stomping, shorts-pulling, hand-checking anti-vax chump Stockton has to accept his exceptional 3.75 ratio (CP3 leads at 4.48). No one I've encountered since Magic has the "Wow! factor" Jokic possesses with the ball in his hands. If anyone had claimed a dorky-looking, 7-foot Serbian could deal the rock like the best point, I'd wonder if he/it was the result of a genetics experiment in hoops mastery. Bird was the most amazing passer who was not a point guard until The Joker came along. I'd replace LeBron with Kevin Johnson, but this represents an otherwise stellar list.

[@jellybeans336]

honorable mention to Jerry West, not only was he a great passer who could drop 40 on ya, he assisted several dynasties into the HOF including the Showtime Lakers, the Shaq and Kobe era, and the modern Golden State Warriors

[@MuddyPoppins]

Most of these comments from everyone were soft and let you off the hook over Bird’s omission, so I’ll say it for them. Most of your videos and rankings are great and mostly spot on, but not including Bird (and most would argue that he’s at least a TIE with Magic), is probably the biggest blunder, most obscene insult, and “oops that cats out of the bag because I really don’t know crap about basketball” moment of your career.

[@-ac-8296]

facts

[@leftyforrester58]

your idea that "most would argue that Bird's at least a TIE with Magic" for the greatest passer is just wrong. While I agree that Bird should be on the list, the idea that most would consider Bird and Magic to be equals in passing is laughable. Almost everyone would place Magic higher

[@-ac-8296]

@@leftyforrester58 the supposedly almost everyone would be wrong

[@MuddyPoppins]

@@leftyforrester58 If you’re sincerely interested in educating yourself you should watch: Larry Bird “Greatest Passer of all time” re-mix w/added footage I’ll be right here waiting…🤔

[@MuddyPoppins]

@@leftyforrester58 ok.. I get it. You already know Bird is the 🐐 and you aren’t ignorant, you’re just a Marxist mouthpiece and disinformation troll. Right? Go ahead and delete this comment too. 🤡🌎

[@Getloose360]

Mark Price, should be on that list. That man could dime with the best of them. KJ as well.

[@CiabanItReal]

I'm all up in my feelings over this video!

[@Fernando-vg4ym]

I think you rated LeBron too high. His assist to turnover ratio is, by far, the worst on this list. At an almost 2:1 ratio, it negates this stat.

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

Yes but look at everything else

[@Fernando-vg4ym]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 Such as? Aren’t we talking about assists? You can’t say he’s helped win games because he has almost twice as many losses as wins in the finals. Sure he has some flashy assists but some dreadful turnovers as well. Longevity is the least important category in this post.

[@dewanewelch1744]

LBJ should not be on this list at all.

[@Fernando-vg4ym]

@@dewanewelch1744 I 100% agree with you. Nor should he even be in the top five all time players discussion much less the goat!

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

@@dewanewelch1744 how

[@modest-review9350]

Jonny top 10 scorers next please😢

[@jonnyarnett]

That one is coming for sure!

[@stevenmichienzi9833]

@@jonnyarnett that's my list 10) Kobe Bryant 9) Kevin Durant 8) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7) LeBron James 6) Michael Jordan 5) Wilt Chamberlain 4) Wilt Chamberlain 3) Wilt Chamberlain 2) Wilt Chamberlain 1) Wilt Chamberlain

[@williamcorliss3664]

​@stevenmichienzi9833 you think LeBron is really that great of a scorer? Like you think he is better than kd? Pure scoring ability of course..

[@lilkellz6493]

⁠@@jonnyarnettwhy was bill walton in the honorable mention

[@stevenmichienzi9833]

@@williamcorliss3664 I think Chamberlain is better than anyone, but maybe you're right about Durant

[@mattiereid77]

What would magic say about you leaving Bird off this list? Just silly.

[@Himmyjewett]

He is not that great of a passer

[@mattiereid77]

@@Himmyjewett what do you think magic would say about Birds passing skills? Are you gonna say that he’s biased? Hahahhahaha

[@yoofij4724]

I acc quite like this list. I like the criteria. My list may be different, but I respect this one

[@TobyKBTY]

I am constantly astounded by how short Magic’s playing prime and time on the court was. Dude was simply him.

[@joelgonzales9122]

I think Larry Bird deserves to be on this list, personally that is. I think he had the best outlet pass. At times he made some outrageously crazy passing.

[@bballanalytics1552]

Mark Jackson has the most assists (868) in a rookie season in the 1987-88 season. honorable mention.

[@RealStefanUrquelle]

lebron james? Since you value longevity, I fully expect you to strongly consider Kevin Willis and Karl Malone in your top 10 rebounders list since that is your case.

[@keithjoseph128]

Why so insecure?

[@RealStefanUrquelle]

@@keithjoseph128 please do elaborate, friend.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Let’s not be hateful. Is he a slightly overrated floor general? Yes. But let’s not act like he isn’t a phenomenal passer. The ability is there. Longevity means nothing in this context.

[@RealStefanUrquelle]

@@TheIcemanthomas My point is valid considering, Jonny built a good portion of his argument around longevity for the player's case of being a "top 10" passer in history. Sorry that it came off as "hateful" to you, that was not my intent, friend. I respect yours and Jonny sports analysis. My original intent, however, was to ask Jonny to hold his longevity argument fair for all, not just this player, for future references. Hope this clears up your misunderstanding.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@RealStefanUrquelleunderstood. I m agree longevity shouldn’t be part of the argument outside of the abilty to do it for a long time. Which is why I’m lower on Stockton as well because people tend to bypass impact metrics, style of play, and overall ability, and just say ,” oh well he had the most assist ever.”

[@juanpierro9734]

You already had me starting the video with MANUUUUUU. So underapreciated...

[@godnotavailable2094]

It's crazy to say this so early in his career, but I honestly think Jokic is too low at #8. I'm not sure where I'd put him exactly, I don't think he's #1, but he'll be in that conversation by the end of his career.

[@joejett5084]

I was thinking that he’s #2

[@cncaliguy09]

Insulting my intelligence with Lebron inclusion of his overrated 7.2 career apg and measly 7.0 ast per 36min. If Lebron was truly great with the ball in his hands, he would be 9.0 to 11.0 Ast per 36 and average 10 ast more than once in his carrer, most these elite have these numbers. John Wall and Kevin Johnson had 4 straight season of +10 APG and one of them deserves to be on this list.

[@jubjubhenry5612]

That’s a really interesting point, if he’s not shoot first and he’s such a good passer with his level of ball dominance his assist stats are trash.

[@onlyfacts3178]

LeBron made everybody worse around him. Not putting Bird Maravich is really absurd. And the fact that he uses longevity as a quality to put lebron but then changes is Logic to exclude Stockton. Stockton played in the same Era has Magic and nobody has a Higher and longer Stay on the top in assists. It seems longevity excuse is just to put LeBron here.

[@nobodybelievesunderscores4122]

Good video bro. I was wondering, what’s your favourite NBA team?

[@ddfelix4829]

Fantastic! My first thoughts are... Bird? Cheeks? Hardaway? Jackson? Maravich? Parker? Rondo? Skiles? Strickland? Williams? But I cannot argue against your top ten. Passing is for results, yet such an art. You've made a good attempt at covering the aspects of passing here.

[@Luso00_]

A lot of fantastic passers. It just shows that a top 10 isn't big enough to show appreciation anymore.

[@temmere]

Personally I think assist to turnover ratio is one of the most deeply flawed stats for judging a player. It does not mean "good passes versus bad passes" like a lot of people seem to think. A lot of turnovers, like travelling or three-second violations, have nothing at all to do with passing. And sometimes great passes don't result in an assist.

[@-ac-8296]

facts

[@Halfdan1]

It's a good stat though you do need to balance it with consideration of 3 things. How many shots does he take a game, how many 3 pointers in relation to 2 pointers and more importantly/ free throw attempts. And how does he rate on the threat level of him and his teammates. These give answer to questions like how many times is he going to pull up opposed to attacking the basket. The latter picks up more free throw attempts, but it also leads to more turnovers. Is the other team double teaming the player in question or are they putting their best defender on him? The more involved with the offense the more turnovers occur. There is a big difference though with assist/turmover ratio coming from someone like Jose Calderon than say Chris Paul Both dominated the state, but CP3 was driving at the basket a lot, drawing his share of ft attempts while Jose was shooting three pointers and passing almost exclusively.

[@jubjubhenry5612]

I’d take Larry Bird and Jokic for pure passing. Magic’s true gift was his domination of the tempo of the game.

[@kenbillings6560]

Great list! If we are talking pure passing, I might switch Nash with Kidd, but that is quibbling.... Honestly, I wish I could explain how great of a passer Ginobili was. Unfortunately, the stats just don't merit him on many lists, but, man, what a great passer!

[@mohddfdf3228]

@can u make videos about top 5 point guard shooting guard small forward power forward and center players in basketball history i like ur videos btw keep going

[@Sheng-Li248]

Putting LeBron over Isiah is SINFUL. 😂☠️

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

No lol

[@zacharyroman8364]

it really isn’t

[@rickb9327]

I think the thing that's difficult is that genius goes with assists. There's not one guy on this list who wasn't a savant. Knowing where a player should be makes an amazing pass possible. Magic had that. Bron has that. Rondo had that. Bird maybe more than most. Jokic for sure. Also don't forget that flashy passes don't win games. It's the overall control of the offense for 48 minutes. Great vid.

[@Halfdan1]

Rondo! I knew there was someone I was forgetting then i saw you mention him.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Flashy assist do win games when ur Bob Cousy, Steve Nash, magic Johnson, jokic, and Larry bird . If it’s consistent, effective and efficient, while also being flashy, it’s definitely a benefit to the team.

[@rickb9327]

@@TheIcemanthomas I was a huge Magic Johnson guy. What i meant was that he ran the offense. A 6'9" guy who could see over the defense and his passes went exactly where his guys needed them. Flashy passes were great, but he dominated the half court game without flashy passes. Dominated the other team as a point guard who really didn't look to score. If he wanted to, he could've been over 25 points a game. Easily.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@rickb9327I mean we know he could because he did in 87 I believe. Magic definitely was a more than capable scorer when he wanted to be.

[@mikhaeldavis6180]

Perfect to me 🎉

[@GiriRam]

Would love to see a video series of Coaches and their best games. Usually when Coaches have a great game, the star takes the credit, but Coaches being behind the scene doesn't get much. Would love to have a series highlighting them

[@3631956406]

Stockton and Magic are the best, they deserve 1 and 2, no one else is even close.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

That’s just objectively not true.

[@dysfunctional4912]

@@TheIcemanthomas it is true because both of them are the greatest point guards to ever play.

[@vukostojic5402]

i would like to add White Chocolate ass a good passer, but they were more flashy than good

[@nathanlawson313]

Every pass he ever made was 100% pinpoint accurate. He even lined the laces up for shooters... It's just half of em went off the side of the head of an unsuspecting teammate.

[@MarkFranklin-ws5jf]

Maravich

[@Himmyjewett]

​@@nathanlawson313so he was a bad passer if half of his passes the players couldn't get them

[@nathanlawson313]

@@Himmyjewett Nope. If he hits teammates square in the chin with his passes and they bobble it, you can't say the players "couldn't" get them.

[@lukepayne7225]

Just want to give Kevin Johnson a shout. Not saying he's top 10, but I think he's deserving of an honorable mention. KJ is criminally under-appreciated. Great video as always!

[@ianmason2003]

Larry should be there. His passing was to win not to accumulate stats like leflop.

[@Yuridivision]

Bird In Lebron Out

[@Va11idus]

💯

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

No lol

[@dewanewelch1744]

Exactly!!! How is Rondo not on here also?

[@tomnone2695]

Wonder where joker will be on this list when he retires

[@gyanyan4146]

Jason Kidd is a top 3 all time passer. I very much agree with his rank, higher than steve nash and cp3. Dude went to NJ, turned an almost same team with marbury to a contender, then made BtoB finals

[@TheIcemanthomas]

To be fair it was in the terrible east. While the latter two played in the most competitive western conferences of all time

[@Astrophro]

When it got down to Nash at 4, I was thinking it's gotta be Bird, Stockton and Magic next (totally forgot about Kidd in the moment). Still shocked Bird didn't make the top 10, but I guess with his peak season being 7.6 per game, he doesn't have the volume of the others on this list.

[@leptonparticle238]

I'd put Bird here. He doesn't gave the numbers but you can argue that his IQ and playmaking skillset is just as good as anyone in the list

[@jakebishop7822]

Interesting top 10. I am probably slightly lower on Stockton despite the volume because I think he threw more grenades than anyone else on this list, especially to Malone, where he got bailed out after dribbling out the clock, or didn't get bailed out and just burned an entire possession without creating a scoring opportunity, but it doesn't show up as a turnover, despite having nearly the same effect. Although that may be unfair, and due to him just not having the scoring game compared to others on this list. If LeBron or Jokic run out of time to find a pass they can go try and score and he didn't really have that option. LeBron and Jokic also just made decisions faster though. Also, Kidd was a worse scorer, and didn't have that problem. I think speed of decision making is really important, because it means if your pass doesn't create an instant shot your team mates still have time to recover, so the possession on average ends up better. That doesn't show up in assist per game, but I think is a huge reason why I think people like Kidd, Bird, Magic, Nash, and Jokic have a significantly higher passing peak than Stockton. Although I get Stockton being that high cause of longevity, and pure volume. I think in terms of pure ability, like peak passing, that Nash is the only other person with a case for 1st, not just with his assists numbers, but so many of them are high leverage assists that are either a layup, or a completely wide open 3. I think he also had way more secondary assists than anyone else here where it was his pressure, manipulation, and pass that created a wide open shot, but it required a basic extra pass from a teammate who got the assist. I think I would have added a passing versatility as a category, the ability to add value from passing in as many ways as possible. Outlet passes, out of the post, PnR, skip passes, touch passes, lobs, each one I think makes the defensive scheme harder, and makes that player passing valuable in as many team compositions as possible. If someone is ramazing out of the PnR but that's it they only really get value when paired with shooters and an athletic rim runner, and restrict what type of teammates can be effective. I think including versatility would massively boost Larry Bird, Jokic , Kidd, Nash, and Magic. Who to me all would deserve the boost. Also, I think for honorable mentions it is weird to have Haliburton but not Trae Young, or Luka. I guess they average more turnovers, but I think that is due to greater audacity, and often the quality of the shots they create more than make up for the extra turnover. I think Hali has maybe been better than Trae this year as a passer, but that Trae has more years of elite passing.

[@CryptidFlame]

100% agree

[@javigar133]

You clearly never watched Stockton. Grenades??? Look at the assis to TO ratio

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@javigar133 not really that relevant considering how he generated most of his assists. He wasn’t creating opportunities like others by manipulating the defense. He was more of a setup man and rarely took risks which naturally lends itself to better efficiency. He was basic. Nothing wrong with that because it worked. But when we are comparing him to people who were literally creating opportunities out of nothing, we’re much more impactful to their teams overall offense, and much better scoring options which opened up the floor even MORE for teammates, he falls slighty behind.

[@joshuahan5499]

10000% agree with this. I was about to make a comment similar to this. As much as Stockton holds numbers I can't get by the fact that much of his passing was inherently basic. We're talking about best "passers" so as much as efficiency stats are important, I do think 'degree of difficulty' and variety of passes is something the video should have considered. I think then Magic, Nash and Kidd could be fighting for the number 1 spot.

[@dc7236]

Consistency matters... Also the game was diffrent an the pg was not looked upon my MOST COACHES to try to score. Its funny how noone mentions Karl Malone as an all time great.... until its time to discredit Stockton

[@Solanegore]

I AGREED WITH EVERY PERSON ON THE LIST!

[@jacksonorwin2989]

Great video again Jonny but i would give a special mention to Wilt for leading the league in assists as a center , i have to say i quit watching after the malice in the palace when the league changed the rules so i don't know or care what any other center may have done because it isn't comparable

[@DerethAC]

No Larry Bird? Good lord.

[@facelessandnameless]

Yeah, that was a huge mistake haha

[@dayostical]

Larry is definitely not top 10 lol. He was a good passer but not quite at this level.

[@averyce2]

Honorable Mention is respectable

[@MOCdude]

I would put Bird above Cousy with all due respect

[@madisonbordenave4869]

Respectfully bro…ur smokin. Larry Bird has an argument for the GOAT passer. Dude has every pass in his arsenal on top of having the height to help him see and create better passing angles with the dexterity to capitalize on them. Also the best touch passer of all time and one of the most creative passers ever. Also an amazing outlet passer. Only thing he may not have in his game is lob passsing cause he didn’t have great lob finishers on his team. But in terms of using his passing to facilitate easy, fast, and potent offense he checks the box in spades.

[@kevinhouse4376]

I almost fell off my chair when I saw that Larry Bird wasn't in the top 10. Re: longevity, it's not like he only played six or seven years. Plus, he had at least 10 years of peak performance. And his assist numbers would have been much higher if he had been a point guard or had a much higher usage rate like LeBron. And like you said, it's easier to get assists these days. I think your rankings would be more credible if you had simply listed the top 10 passing point guards (since you value assist totals so highly and eight of your 10 players are PGs) and then the top 10 passing forwards/centers. Then players like Bird and Bill Walton could have made the list.

[@-ac-8296]

facts

[@bleedingcrystal4722]

Bird wasn’t even his teams facilitator yet his passing highlight reel hold up against anyone here that made your list. Personally he’s my number 2 behind Magic. His creativity and ability to see plays was just insane.

[@TwannDonn]

Larry is definitely one of the top players in history as far as vision, definitely was a wizard with the ball. But he didn't have the passing numbers to go with it to meet Johnny's criteria.

[@Va11idus]

How is the turnover king in the top 10?

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

Bro cmon, how is he not top 10

[@stamatiskon3049]

Lebron is the turnover king? He is in the top 10 because he is in all of top 10s. How can you leave him out if you have any basic basketball knowledge and functional eyes?

[@dc7236]

Who

[@TravisMcGee151]

Bird all the way.

[@Smido83]

Great list, and I completely agree with the ranking right now. That being said, I am sure this list will change pretty soon. If I say the names Doncic, Young, Haliburton, everyone should know what I mean.

[@erickleroux8357]

So happy to see Kidd ahead of Nash. I always thought Kidd was a better, smarter passer than Nash, but most people disagreed with me.

[@farazchaudhry7086]

Bird should be in the top 5.

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

No

[@farazchaudhry7086]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 Shut up Daffy.

[@MrMachoman47]

Absolutely not

[@farazchaudhry7086]

@@MrMachoman47 based on what?

[@MrMachoman47]

@@farazchaudhry7086 I mean lower assists per game, fewer total assists, never lead the league in assists. I’d be curious to see your arguments in favor of him being in the top 5, the onus is on you after all

[@mrgarrettscott]

I would argue for dropping LeBron off this list on favor of Bird. Parish and McHale score so many easy baskets because of Larry Legend

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

Bron is a better passer

[@mrgarrettscott]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 Bron got better stats. He is not the better passer

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

@@mrgarrettscott he is tho

[@nicksamp515]

LOL. Larry Bird should be on this list, so as LeBron.

[@mrgarrettscott]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 I admit LeBron has passing skills. My problem with him is his tendency to create open three pointers, the most difficult shot in the game. The only way to average 10+ assist is to create easy baskets. Bird created easy baskets using his gravity as a shot maker. If Bird handled the rock as much as LeBron has historically, his assist numbers per game and totals would much higher.

[@TheDeadpooI]

That jkidd inbound lob over yao was crazy😮

[@hyperiondeeper3493]

John Stockton bar goes crazy

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Definitely missing Sabonis, unseld,Webber, divac, manu, and maybe harden in honorables

[@federicomiceli1344]

I would add Diaw too

[@-ac-8296]

where's your evidence to back it up? you can't just say it you need irrefutable proof!

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

@@-ac-8296this is just common knowledge tho

[@-ac-8296]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 ice man thomas has been commenting on other people's posts demanding they produce proof, I'm just doing it back, fair's fair and all that

[@-ac-8296]

@@sir.muffiniii7011 ice man thomas has been commenting on a number of posts demanding evidence/proof (hypocritically as is evidenced here) and I'm just doing the same thing back. Fair's fair and all that

[@RetroKid]

All-time numbers dont necessarily equate to being the best at the skill Thats like saying LeBron is the best scorer since he scored the most points. You can be one and not the other. Here are some actual skillful passers with a high rate of flashy passes versus regular passes 1) nash 2) magic 3) cousy 4) maravich 5) jayson williams

[@MOCdude]

I do feel like Jason Kidd and Chris Paul have also entered those categories as far as their passes go as well

[@RetroKid]

@@MOCdude you right, although I feel JKidd moreso than CP3. Chris Paul has lob city, but on the break, gimme JKidd any day. Besides, CP3 may pull a hammy pushing the ball as hard as any of the other passers on this list

[@MOCdude]

@@RetroKid yeah as just passing I would have Kidd edge over cp3

[@kaycorpz7891]

Ight bro 😂😂

[@dankautzmann1315]

I feel this is a good list. I would Oscar out for Bird and I struggle that Mark Jackson isn’t in there somehow

[@Italiancwb125]

I think your list is pretty good to be honest with you.

[@facelessandnameless]

Larry Bird is absolutely top ten. He was a better passer than Lebron ever was. In my opinion he’s the third best passer ever after Magic and Stockton.

[@jonnyarnett]

If the lone categories are peak vs peak and court vision, then Bird has a VERY solid argument, but based on my categories, he doesn't have the best arguments in longevity and APG compared to guys in the top 10.

[@Chr1ShawnKPD]

Ever was? C'mon man lol you can edge it to Bird but to act like it's not even a debate is ignorant.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Just saying it doesn’t make it true. U have to back that.

[@peter2oo151]

Should be top 10 but not a better passer than Lebron

[@rankarat]

​@@jonnyarnett Bird Was 4 times better passer than anyone in the list except maybe magic.

[@jubjubhenry5612]

Did you leave Larry off just because you knew his fans would roast you and give you comments? 🤣

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Johnny u know why I’m here.

[@nightbarpatrol]

Honestly I don’t see how anyone can change the top 5. Rock solid choices.

[@javigar133]

Bird at number 3... Easy

[@juliothom2408]

Bird should have made the back half of the Top 10...

[@MichaelDavis-eg1pp]

Magic #1 then bird nash jokic and Kidd in no particular order

[@javigar133]

Stockton cant be lower than second... Obviously!!!

[@peter2oo151]

Rajon Rondo or Bird would be my 11th guy, good list tho man

[@gamefreak2050]

I’m really glad you included Tyrese Halliburton in the honorable mentions, man’s gonna be a top 10 passer at the end of his career the rate he’s going

[@brianmorton963]

i've said my whole life i think Bird is as good a passer as Magic. I would rank Larry 3rd behind Magic and Stockton but he wasn't the Pg so i get why you didn't put him up there. And even though i don't like him i'd have to put Rondo in top 10 to

[@jaketerpening3284]

I recently went on a spree of watching old games and I have to agree with you. I actually also drop Stockton a good amount. He doesn't seem to have the ability to create passes out of no where like some of the other top guys.

[@brianmorton963]

@@jaketerpening3284 ya there's no pass Stockton couldn't make, don't conflate flashy with competence. There's a reason why his Steals and assist records will probably never be beat, he was a bad Mofo

[@jaketerpening3284]

@@brianmorton963 It's not just flashiness. Stockton's assists largely come from set play that end up in a contested layup that Karl Malone could finish at high percentage because he was a beast. Not saying that it's the wrong basketball play, but when I look at passes from Bird, Magic or Nash, they do way more to manipulate defense and find guys wide open that anybody could hit. That's why I don't personally put a lot of weight in the assist stat.

[@brianmorton963]

@@jaketerpening3284 Umm, Every players assist come largely from set plays

[@brianmorton963]

@@jaketerpening3284 I don't quite follow. So he got 15000 assists on simple bounce Passes in the pick and roll to Karl malone? Again i'm pretty sure you're equating behind the back or no look passes as the standard of weather you're a great passer. And no offense dude just My opinion

[@marcobattiston1702]

This is the right rating for Jason Kidd 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I was expecting Larry Bird at some point but it's a really competent list. If he had longevity on his side, I would have given a top 7 spot to Kevin Johnson.

[@steezsteezsteez]

Holy crap those cousy highlights 😂 I wish we had more tape

[@TheIcemanthomas]

People disrespect cousy way too often because of how he dribbled. But that man was a beast of a passer. The original point god

[@c14nonyt85]

I really respect the decision to have Kevon Looney at 5 super underrated!!!!

[@jatdb51t]

'Magic still to this day has the highest career assists per game" *because John Stockton let him. The day he played his last game Stockton had a higher career average and total. He held onto it for a few seasons until he was past his prime and putting the total assists record completely out of reach.

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

Stockton also lived off of dump off passes to Karl Malone in the post

[@caseyrobinson5884]

I love yo Videos but Bird should have been in the top 10 my opinion

[@jubjubhenry5612]

Definitely, watch a highlight film of all of these players passing and it’s sort of obvious

[@caseyrobinson5884]

@@jubjubhenry5612 Right and Bird rarely brought the ball up the court even though he Could watch the HIGHLIGHTS EVERYONE

[@asymptoticspatula]

I think we all knew Stockton and Magic would be numbers 2 and 1. Nice ranking.

[@dwaynewade3711]

PLEASE. do a top 10 most enteratint TEAMS of all time (i.e showtime, lob city, or fundamentally sound teams like the 2014 bc they played beautiful basketball)

[@LeonidasChronis]

No larry bird?

[@MOCdude]

should’ve been at no. 9 or 10

[@SoggySlopster]

@@MOCdudefr bird gotta be over Isaiah

[@c99kfm]

@@SoggySlopster And certainly, without any room for doubt, over LeBron.

[@MJIZZEL]

That's what I'm saying

[@sir.muffiniii7011]

@@c99kfmno lol

[@fatesend8637]

Not having the best passing forward on the list in Bird is a mistake. Keeping him outside the top 5 is additional mistake. Another thing I was a bit confused on was where criteria applied. Not sure why you emphasized Chris Paul's ability to elevate his teammates right after not mentioning the Lebron James effect of making most of his teammates more one dimensional. There is also a weird dichotomy between the two where James has multiple chips and Paul has been unable to get over the hump. It just me kinda strange seeing them ranked 6th - 5th like that.

[@cypher787]

He does have the best passing forward on the list. Lebron.

[@fatesend8637]

@@cypher787 No shot in hell Lebron is the best passing forward. That is Larry Bird. Period. Bird made some of the most outrageous passes ever. James turns most of his teammates into one dimensional, limited versions of themselves. The best passing forward of all time doesn't do that.

[@iamsuperior4087]

he already does have the best passing forward of all time in the list

[@fatesend8637]

@@iamsuperior4087 Larry Bird was in the list?

[@iamsuperior4087]

​@@fatesend8637 nope but the best passing forward of all time is

[@CharlesChacon]

I know it’s still so early, but the way Jokic uses his passing to kind of dominate the league in that way right now should have him higher. I think he should be top five.

[@FekalistaGrzybowory-lz8lh]

1.John Stockton - there wasn't better point guard in this league than him. 2.Earvin "Magic" Johnson - great passer, Showtime running power 3.Jason Kidd 4.Steve Nash 5.Isiah Thomas 6.Larry Bird 7.Oscar Robertson 8.Rajon Rondo 9.Chris Paul 10.Gary Payton Honorable mentions: Luka Doncić, Nikola Jokić, Pete Maravich, Tim Hardaway, Tony Parker, Nate Archibald, Wilt Chamberlain, Russell Westbrook.

[@thebenc1537]

There is a huge glaring flaw with your concept of best point guard. People like Stockton and Nash were awful on one half of the court. The ret of them had some D but not those 2. That disqualifies them from being a top 10 pg in my eyes and is why they never won a ring.