There is no doubt that the greatest backcourt in the history of the National Basketball Association is Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. It goes without saying they are the greatest shooting duo in NBA History. 

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson:  Golden State Warriors

It also goes without saying that half of the greatest shooting duo ever, are also the greatest shooters in the history of the league. Stephen Curry solidified this by breaking the three-point record held by Ray Allen in only 789 games. By comparison, Ray Allen’s previous record breaking three-point total needed 1300 games. 

It would be easy to talk about Curry and Thompson’s shooting prowess all day.   However, the most underappreciated aspect of the game is how well-rounded they are overall. Both of them can drive to the basket and create their own shots.  They can move around the court to find open spaces. 

Curry and Thompson are their rock solid foundation of a franchise that has won three championships and is in the midst of their 6th Finals Appearance.    However, there have been many great backcourts that existed prior to the 'Splash Brothers'. Let's go over them now.

Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars:  Detroit Pistons

The heart and soul of the “Bad Boy” Pistons are the backcourt combination of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars. They helped to spearhead the team to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.   Isiah Thomas averaged 19.2 points for his career. He was a 12 time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA team 5 times.   

Joe Dumars averaged 16.1 points. He was a 6-time All-Star and received All-Defensive honors 5 times. Both men are members of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Just recently, Isiah Thomas was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. 

Jerry West and Gail Goodrich:  Los Angeles Lakers

Jerry West and Gail Goodrich can definitely be described as a duo that stuffed the stats sheet.  When the LA Lakers won the NBA Championship in 1972, West and Goodrich were front and center as a duo. They led the team in scoring that year.  

West and Goodrich averaged 24.6 ppg and 23.2 ppg respectively in the 5 seasons they played together. Individually, Jerry West averaged 27.0 ppg for his career while Gail Goodrich averaged 18.6 ppg. Both men are in the Hall of Fame. 

Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe:  New York Knicks

This backcourt tandem is the only tandem in which both members are on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.   This duo spearheaded the Knicks to the 1973 NBA Championship as they led the team in scoring during the year.  Walt Frazier was a 7-time All Star.  He earned all-NBA honors six times and earned All-Defensive honors 7 times. On the other hand,  Earl “The Pearl” Monroe averaged 18.8 points and was a four-time All-Star.   

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