By Paul Thurman

Many believe that a great basketball franchise starts with its point guard. After all, the man running the show coordinates just about every offensive drive up the court.

The ball handling and passing ability of a point guard will directly impact a team's offensive abilities, and their defensive skills are equally valuable.

During the course of the last few decades, some of the greatest point guards to ever play basketball have graced us with their presence. Let's have a little fun by ranking the top five athletes in this category, all based on my personal opinion.

Number five on my list goes to Steve Nash. It's remarkable to think about the fact that his best basketball has been played after the age of 30. While he's now 35, some coaches and analysts think he's playing better than he ever has.

Next on my list is Chris Paul. While he's younger than Nash, he's made the most of his time, becoming one of only two point guards in the history of the league to lead all players in assists and steals per game.

He's one of the best defenders at the position to ever play the game, and a shoe in to be near the top of the league in assists each year.

Back to an older active player who hasn't slowed down, Jason Kidd is truly phenomenal. The fact that he plays as well as he does at the age of 36 is a testament to his raw talent. Kidd has one of the most well rounded games in the history of the sport.

John Stockton. The all-time assists leader has to be on this list. Wonder why the Jazz made the playoffs for nearly 20 years straight, all the way until Stockton was over 40 years old? It was the combo of this phenom and Karl Malone.

As great as these point guards all were, no one tops Magic Johnson on this list. While his career was unfortunately cut short, what he accomplished while he played was truly incredible. Between his championships, MVP awards, and his stats, he was a joy to watch and simply one of the best to ever play.

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