Here's our take on the NBA's 10 greatest ball handlers of all time.
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Top 10 Ball Handlers In NBA History
Disagree with our list? Let us know your thoughts!
First
No D 🌹🙁🙁
Nonstop Sports do a video of the ugliest jump shots
Why and how did you overlook Pistol Pete Maravich, one of the very best handling artists in NBA history!
Pistol Pete and skip to my lou should have been on the list
Nash, "Not athletic by any means", but Nash, "So fast, quick, and able to change directions so quickly he was one of the most evasive point guards in history, and amazing hand/eye coordination." Sounds like the definition of athletic to me...
I think what they meant was, flashy type of "athletic" like Kyrie/Kemba
He meant white
And he was basically semi pro in soccer/football SMH
@@APhreshCarrot ha don't kill me bruh. Clearly you're correct👊
He’s athletic but not explosive, saying an NBA athlete isn’t “athletic” unless it’s someone like Jokic, is probs not true, they literally in the NBA
Defender reaches the ball: Kyrie: You reach, I teach, YOU KNOW THE RULES.
THAT JAMES HARDEN
😂 LOL
Chris smooveeeee baby
Fax Curry
... and so do I.
#10 Isiah Thomas (0:16) #9 Steve Nash (0:55) #8 Tim Hardaway (1:47) #7 Chris Paul (2:21) #6 James Harden (3:12) #5 Jason Williams (4:11) #4 Stephen Curry (4:55) #3 Jamal Crawford (5:50) #2 Allen Iverson (6:35) #1 Kyrie Irving (7:48)
Ty Lawson?
Is says donvann mcnabb 💀
Isiah Thomas should be much higher on the list.
Decent list but not correct
Where ja morant
Kyrie Irving is definitely one of the greatest ball handler I've ever watched,He moves around the court like no one can stop him, Unbelievable moves👏👏👏
John Stockton? Karl Malone?
Not only ball handling he’s definitely the most offensive skilled player of all time
@@mrlaybackvevo264 Hell no
@@mrlaybackvevo264 Kobe Durant, Melo, Iverson, etc were all better
@@d3adyoutubeaccountof course all better, he's saying more skilled
At only 6' and 165lbs Allen Iverson was a ruthless ankle breaker 💯
Quickness but handle itself...It's like Kemba crossover, great, by Quickness but no extraordinary handle
5'12"
@@feoleb uhhh that's 6 foot
@@alopez1571 his ability to control the ball at that speed is incredible
He was more like 5 foot 10 but he was listed at 6 feet so that teams didn’t pas up on him in the draft if we’re bein honest
Ngl Pete Maravich should be in this list he was doing things nba players do today in the 70s he was ahead of his time 💯
Facts and his passes were even better
@@owenmasalla2753 yr
I totally agree. I think Maravich is one of the top 5 ball handlers ever.
@@timmyg831 maybe not better than AI, Kyrie and Jamal but at least top 5 in my opinion
Thx you know him he is underrated
"Pistol" Pete Marovich was doing all these moves we see now 40 plus years ago. He was a true magician with the basketball and was a pure shooter as well. This list is good for the modern era or the past 20 years, but not all time.
Pistol Pete and Dame and .... Jason Kidd Starbury .... Honorable mentions .. "Magic" ? Probably greatest passer but Great list and Pure facts my Guy
lol
@@ddubbwhite Yeah, Pistol Pete one of the most disrespected and forgotten about ball handlers in history. These young folks today really have no clue because they never saw the legends play live. They live in the moment.
@@bphilbac tru man but they can always look up how great they were ...Pete ran those days whether they know it or not he was the closet thing to Jerry west and he is the logo
Yup, I have him at number 2. Iverson was my 1st pick.
Joe Johnson is never talked about when handling the rock, but Iso-Joe deserves a mention. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Brandon Roy, Mark Price, Tony Parker and his ridiculous spin move, and Rod Strickland deserve some love, too.
Harden has a Ph.D. in Culture, Tourism, and Globalization. coz he travels so much.
I wish I could like 1,000 times
Overused boring joke
@@naiegweimai5410 Not as much as the I took it personal Jordan ones.
@@Mzee1084 its not the same thing tho, the i took it personal meme is a good thing said about the goat, the traveling its just corny and its not even funny anymore
@@naiegweimai5410 Any joke that is repeated for a long period of time becomes a stale joke.
Iverson got the nastiest ankle breakers in history
Ex. Tyronne Lue
Ankle broke MJ
Antonio Daniels would seriously disagree lol
@@PeachyHater bruh, he ankle broke the GOAT himself
@@xdCordae it wasnt an ankle break. Mj was defending his well and iverson is so fast that mj misplaced his hand
It's a great list. Nice work. To be truly historical though almost have to have Pistol Pete and maybe even Bob Cousy in there. Baron Davis and Stevie Franchise come to mind as honorable mentions.
Marques Haynes of the Globetrotters exceeds them all - especially those from the 1980's onward who carry the ball, palm the ball, and execute similar cross-over actions which, in all levels of basketball in prior years, would have been called violations in the travelling category.
Haynes was a MAGICIAN. Earl Monroe should've been somewhere on this list also.
Jamal is raw, love to see him play in highlight reels
@Donald K It's just another term for really good
Where is Magic Johnson ? 🙄
I think JC should've been @1
D. Rose ball handling is so underrated
No ciz
Maybe underrated but if you'd put him on this list then you would overrate his handle
@@qlutch2998 tru
@@qlutch2998 yea 2011 rose mvp the goat?
Derrick Rose should absolutely be on this list!! Just pure ball handling the only person I would take over him is Kyrie
Kyrie's turnaround fadeaway is unguardable and is underrated
Wilt Chamberlain
I definitely disagree with your comment about James Harden never making it far in the playoffs. They were one game shy of the NBA finals when they eventually lost in game 7 against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 2018.
I think he means he never played in a NBA finals game.
But he has played in the finals. U must mean he never lead a team to the finals
Kyrie: Slick handles to create a great shot Steph: Great shooting that made his handles harder to guard
Not truuu they both have slick handles 2 create a shot
No kyrie is better than curry
@@Xyatg they have strengths that equal out kyrie has better D than Steph but steph has a better shot
@@Xyatg Kyrie's handles are slightly better than Curry's... but overall Curry is leaps and bounds ahead of him... it is not even close
@@DiosanXaquerry nah kyrie’s handle are clearly better idk what you mean by slightly like ask anyone the clear answer is kyrie without a doubt.
I played against Jamal Crawford in High school (same graduating year). I have never personally played against anyone more talented. He would routinely dribble through our enitre defense (5 players).
Proof?
@@llerioo2885 why do u need proof
I believe it. I miss him in the league. Lethal player
@ llerioo besides him crossing people in the NBA ?
Bro stop cappin 😂
John Stockton is underrated. Not that flashy, but very effective ball handler.
Steve Francis. Definitely underrated. And should of made that list.
starbury, alston, strickland all super underrated too
Yea
@@Goat__275 Nash should not be on here
@@garylewis3611 ikr
@@garylewis3611 true
Steve Francis was a G too
Kyrie Irving defies logic. The more off-balanced defenses try to make him, the better his handle gets.
This list is handsdown the best selection 💪👍🤜🤛
Thing about Kyrie, not only elite handle but the one thing that sets him apart is he is always reading anticipating the defense a couple steps ahead down to exposing their defensive weaknesses
Pistol Pete was the original Mr. Showtime. Insane ball handling skills.
Magic at 6'9" spinning at full speed then going behind the back and making a pinpoint pass!!!! Magic is never mentioned as a ball handler but he should watch the highlights of magic making moves at full speed the in and out dribble ,changing directions,etc.......magic should be top 10
Magic was not a great ballhandler..he had big hands which made him a very good ball handler...for his size at the point but Magic has never broken ankles or broke some one down off the dribble. The best big men with a handle are Joe Johnson, KD, lance Stephenson
@@rodcav3 I'd put Giannis there too. And Shaq as well.
@@rodcav3 Penny Hardway
Was assuming turnovers would play a role.
You can tell this kid didn't do all of his home work before making this video, No Magic, Bird did things with the ball no one will duplicate, Pistol Pete not on the list...smh. Now this is great list but to not have Magic and Pistol on here is absurd and possibly Bird. Go watch Birds mixtape...
Isaiah Thomas needs to be much higher on this list…his game is what inspired all these other guys. Besides, he played in a era that was much more physical and still won 2 Rings!! I wonder how some of these guys would fare if hand checking was still legal?
Exactly dude high on drugs for that move. Tim couldn't dribble better than Isaiah. Isaiah used to dribble on one knee!
Yep. He’s #2. The pistol #1.
id kick him out and put steve francis on the list. Solid ball handler but not as flashy as the franchise. lol
Honorable mention goes to Calvin Murphy. Hall of Fame career using his amazing quickness and ball handling skills at 5’9”.
Ernie D was a better dribbler than Murphy and better than anyone on this list. Hand on top of the ball is much harder.
Pete Maravich literally invented moves in basketball, he should be in top 3
FACTUAL
100% why he wasnt on here shows this kids young
Who’s he better than Steph, Kyrie, Harden, Iverson?
@@squelch6573 that’s a grown ass man. You must be ancient
@@duantae ok pal ! I was born in 87 but thats cool
Nash is athletic AF btw. He excelled in multiple sports. Not jumping high doesn't mean not athletic.
I know bro he said the same thing about James but they both are quick as fukk
When people say not athletic, its compared to guys like Lebron, Zion, Giannis, Wilt, MJ, Westbrook, Ja Morant ect. Curry, Chris paul, Harden and steve nash are more athletic by far than the average human, and even than soccer players but basketball is where the most impressive athletic specimen are, and compared to them they aren’t athletic.
@@Anthonydu01630 You just said that they are athletic. You're just comparing them to guys that can jump. That means that his definition of athleticism is still incorrect.
Nash is not as fast, quick or agile as an athletic point guard.
@@benjamincrosby4350 What? Did you even watch Nash?
Imagine saying James Harden has "never made it far in the playoffs" when he's been in the NBA Finals before.... wtf
Totally agreed with this ranking
Kemba Walker handlings are so underrated☹️
And deron Williams
His acctually my idol
I wish he would use them instead of being garbage
bro why is he not on this list
@@dingdongdork00 great question🤔
Glad to see Isiah get some love, he’s extremely underrated.
His injury contributed to this
Under Nash though smh
underrated????
He should be top 5......handle was amazing in an era that didn;t allow for you to carry the ball so high...Isiah set the ballhandling blueprint for all the small gaurds you see today. Underrated by only those who don't know shit about Bball...but in my opinion the best player pound for pound next to MJ ever
@@rodcav3 Yesssssir! Zeke the Giant Slayer!!!!
100% agree with this list
Was kinda expecting Stephon Marbury to be on this list at like 10 or 9 but I can’t argue with any of your picks! Great list!
I remember getting floor tickets and I gotta look at AI up personal. Absolutely incredible
8:22 "Layup package deeper than mariana trench" sounds hilarious but its the best metaphor to describe Kyrie's ability😂😂
I didn't like how you describe AI-3 as a fan who modeled my game on his But all the rest was funny acurate and well thought and i can't be more ok with your ending with Kyrie Great Job and thx
I love how you said " all the ball carrying that is allowed today" ! ✊🏾😎
I played with Iverson once at a community center in Hampton, VA and he is an incredible player. If you miss shots he will clown you.
3:45..them Harden bars😂😂. Sheesh! My man deserves a raise ☝️
Probably the best top 10 list I’ve ever seen… only thing I would’ve done is added a honorable mention bcuz pistol Pete should be mentioned…
Great list. !!!
My favorite sports channel
Me too
I’d have Pistol on my list but about it, great list and hard agree on #1
Then make your own video
Two major grips with this list: 1. No Pistol Pete is intolerable disrespect 2. Calling Harden "one of the best offensive players ever"....C'MON SON! Maybe, MAYBE with a few added caveats like off the dribble, or shot creator, then you MIGHT have am argument. But strictly offense with no qualifications? No way is he top 5. I enjoyed the video though. Props on he content.
How can you forget Tyrone Mugsy Bouges. He was one of the greats at his position. He belongs in the Hall Of Fame.
Great list, I would like to honorable mention Magic Johnson. 6'9 spinning in traffic, wheeling, and dealing in showtime.
Irving is terrific, I would add Maravich and I would put Thomas higher, one of the best 6' 1" ft player
That's the reason why they won't let people like you decide
Levels to ballhadling North to South, East to west Scoring and passing equivalent. I love AI, Steph, and Tim but they had 1 on 1 ball handling moves. JKidd, Rod Strickland and others could do everything
Perfect. I agree with you. Irving is the talent.
CP3 should be ranked higher solely because of his low TO. If the title was top 10 "dribblers", I have no complains. But since it says "ball handlers", then TOs should be accounted for (ball security).
While I mostly agree with you, his turnovers are low not only cause of his handles, it's cause of his exceptional ability to read the defence and style of play as well. Most other good handlers have either worse passing skills than CP3 that leads them to more turnovers (Harden, Hardaway, etc.) or worse basketball iq (Irving, Iverson, etc.) that makes them doing more bad decisions. And on top of that his calculated style of play is a big reason for that as well which is why there is big difference in turnovers between him and Steve Nash who probably had the same basketball IQ and even better passing skills. The thing is that Nash was more willing to risk while you rarely see Paul doing any flashy stuff with his passing or anything to the point where CP3 was even started to be criticized at one point of his career because of him not necessary being a selfish ball hog like some other good ball handlers but still being too ball dominant and too controlling because he would turn down a 75% success rate offensive opportunity searching handling the all longer searching for an even better success rate offensive opportunity which lead him to overhandling the ball a little just like some of ball hogs do just cause of different reasons. However, it's good see him overcoming this trait later in his career and making more plays off ball and trusting his teammates ball handling more while still having really high assist to turnover ratio and still being a great leader and playmaker both on and off the ball.
How can you forget Rod Strickland he's kyrie 20 years ago and Nick Van Exel
If they counted turnovers, Jason Williams would be off the list.
Gotta put Pete Maravich on the list he dominate the other PG in 70's
6:30 Crawford just crossed up my eyes with that twitch dawg
Crawford's crossover is somehow underrated. I still remember his scary injury though.
Nice list... Nick Van Exel, Kenny Anderson & Rod Strickland... 3 of the best dribblers I’ve ever seen.
Pete Marovich , Earl Monroe, Lamelo Ball
Whoa, good one. I forgot about Kenny Anderson. I definitely pick him over Harden. Strickland was nice also,but I don't think top 10. Van Exel for me nah.
Definitely agree
Isiah Thomas mentioned at number ten is an outrage.
Props for putting Steve Nash. ❤
Kyrie, Kyrie, Kyrie, Kyrie Irving 🔥 🔥
Glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks that the way Irving dribbles the ball is exactly the same as that old uncle Drew guy.
I definitely can agree with the list I also see alot of Rod Strickland in Kyries handles he's actually his Godfather so I'm sure he gave him a few pointers
Rod was awesome . he should of been on the list
this was made on my birthday
It's all in the name. Ball. Handling. Steve Nash made it seem like the ball was an extension of his body without being too flashy or using a lot of crossovers.
I love these I've binged these for like hours😂
Amazing ball handlers there...I really couldn't see how to guard Irving one on one...he can Cross you on several ways ,he can pump fake you in the paint and score ,he can shoot three ,he can pass the ball on the right spot,he can make you to foul him, I mean he can make embarecmant looks good on you while you playing against him lol
John Wall is almost Kyrie level in ball handling, he should definitely be in this list
This comment section is 3600 strong, and the video is 2 years old, so I doubt this will even get addressed. But I actually had a hot take on the best NBA ball handlers OAT yesterday. All these guards are incredible with the rock. But if I were to choose the best, it's definitely #1 on this list. Even though his handle is flashy, Kyrie does something that not all ball handlers do. Most ball handlers have quickness, especially changing direction, but their movements are to find space and/or draw the defense. That's why a good number of players on this list are known for their assist proficiency. They want to make space. This gives them options when attempting to score. From there, you get guys who have outstanding court vision who can dish it off (Nash, Paul, and Williams), guys who can come off the dribble for a shot (Harden and Curry), and guys who had pure instinctual talent, becoming the go-to firearm whenever their team needs a shot (AI and Crawford). Albeit with a fair share of ball hogging. All these guys, though, seem as though control of the ball is their highest priority. Which... of course, right? You're a ball handler, you aim to control the ball well. Watch Kyrie play. Where all the others on this list have insane control of the ball, Kyrie seems more like he just has more body control/physical awareness than any other pro, ever. The ball handling is the byproduct, not the movement. I think this is what makes him so dangerous. He takes every moment to put the ball where he wants, somewhere the defender can't reach it. But his moves don't ever seem... planned. He figures where he wants to go, reads the defense, and uses his amazing dexterity to execute. He almost handles a basketball the way Barry Sanders ran a football. You know he'll do something amazing, but it will be in a way you've never seen before, even from him, simply because he only operates in the moment. That's the best way I can describe it. I'm sure some will disagree, but it can't be understated that very few, if any, players of professional basketball (and pro sports in general) have the body control Kyrie has. Looking over all my favorite ball handlers, they all have a unique approach to dribbling. They broke the mold once Kyrie put his bid in to enter the league. And this concludes my useless analysis.
Respect mentioning Hardaway!...god father of the cross over. Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, baron davis and pistol Pete deserve honorable mentions.
Someone else said a name i completely forgot about him and that's Kenny Anderson whose game kind of resemble Kyrie,imo
Loved the thought behind your lineup. Can’t hate on it. Great job
A.I and Tim Hardaway had two of the best crossovers, but my list top 5… 1. Kyrie 2. Steph 3. J crossover 3. CP3 4. J Will 5. Zeek Thomas
Steph? I just don't see it.. if he couldn't shoot I don't see anyone talking about his handles
@@hpmroyale8364 how do I think he gets open to shoot so well? He ain’t just running off screens fam but I respect ya opinion ✊🏾
@@tylewis89 Nice list but Jamal has better handles than curry and so does cp3. They may not shoot better but definitely has better handles
Magic Johnson needs to be in here. Unless you’re too young to remember. 5 titles, and they called him magic for a reason. Showtime was all him.A wizard with the ball. He was amazing.
Non-stop Sports cuz it gives us contact that I actually like and that's absolutely true
i like this list...
Ya me too
Sup dude
Sup my n-neighbor
I wish you would have put Derick Rose in this line up! Still enjoyed the video! Thanks
ISO JOE dude . That move against Pierce was sweet
Honorable Mention: Stephon Marbury and his spin passes.
God Shammgod was amazing at handling the rock too
but he only had one awesome move
I guarantee he could handle the ball better me and u still...just saying lol...and I'm pretty good but I'm nowhere near pro material
@@rodcav3 No, watch videos on how God Shammgod teaches how to dribble and you would change your opinion of him. Reason he couldn't make it in the NBA is he had one of the worse jumpers an NBA PG could have. While at Providence, he destroyed the Arizona backcourt during the tourney.
@@deerouse I have a very high opinion of Shammgod..he was a very skilled ball handler, but most of his drills are the same drills taught by other great ball handlers..with the exception of his one signature move..and you are right between him and Hot Sauce, and Skip are 3 of the worst shooters I've ever seen that had such great handles
1-isaiah thomas...2-pete maravich...3-tim hardaway...4-rod strickland...5-jason williams...6-mark price...7-kyrie irving...8-micheal ray richardson...9-steve colter...10-nate archabald
The disrespect of Allen Iverson was hella disrespectful wow
D Will is an underrated ball handler
💯 if anyone needs a good laugh look up Deron Williams' crossover on Jason Terry. One of the purest ankle breakers I've seen in the NBA. It was ALL HANDLES
Kyrie Erving is a good ballhandler as well so careful not to be injured... impressive
AI has the killer crossover of all time.. Nobody beats The Answer when it comes to crossover
Honorable Mentiin: Franchise, strickland, maravich, van exel, i liked tmac's handle too lol Underrated: kemba, jeff teague, tyreke evans, ty lawson, baron davis, DERRICK 'POOHDINI' ROSE, raefer alston If we talk just deadly crossovers? We can talk about guys like Kobe, Melo, Derron Williams...some of the bigger guards don't get enough love sometimes because it doesn't take them 50 dribbles to get to their spots
Havent watched yet but ai gotta be on here and Dl
Kemba Walker should be here. His handles are crazy definitely top 5 today and his handles are better than a few in the list
Who are his handles better than on this list ?!?!?!
Cut it out! I ilke Kemba but does not belong on this list
Y'all forgot Tiny Archibald, Skip to my Lou, Pistol Pete, and you probably never saw Kevin porter the original assist leader of the NBA. there's more too although his offense sucked Ray Felton had a serious handle too.
Shammgod
Do you have a video on passing guards? Magic is my No. 1
I love this list but you gotta move Isaiah Thomas a little bit higher
Definitely!!! Number #10 is way to low for him!
can we take a moment to see how underrated KYRIE is as a defender
yes, he can definitely defend if he wanted to
Why? Steve Nash was bad, and so are others on the list.... That has no relevance on the topic at hand.
Lmao @ j crossover not being keen on passing 🤣🤣
Marquez Haynes and Curley Neil didn't play in the NBA but they had crazy handles.
“Bachelor’s degree on people crossing over, a master’s degree on euro stepping to the basket and a PhD on drawing foul” DEM BARS ARE HILARIOUS 🤣🤣
🔥🔥🔥🔥 that shit is fuego my guy
That's a lot of degree. No wonder he dropped defense studies 😅
This dude giving us breakdowns on Anime characters with special basketball traits 😂😂😂
I thought that too when he got to Iverson
Very nice video
Iverson is definitely the best in crossovers, no one can move like he do.
Tim way better
The disrespect to my man Deron Williams is crazy. . Easily one of the best ball handlers of all time. . His crossover was dangerous. . Also special mention to Lance Stephenson who gets JIGGY with the ball. . & Steve Francis who’s handles is underrated
This is true
And Kemba
This list is missing Pete "Pistol" Maravich
No it's not.
U must.have NOT seen Maravich play (in person)...... like I have. He was the ORIGINAL Show time. Unbelievable ball handler.
@@BIYShacks bruh making these claims as a 12 year old
The amount of rings between these guys is... stunning