Greatest NBA Small Forwards of All Time

The most versatile position in basketball is the small forward. A player who can do whatever needs to be done on a court. Over the years, small forwards have changed the way the game is played and defined the NBA itself. 

What makes the perfect small forward? Is it shooting range? Ball-handling ability? Defense? Playing above the rim? The truth is it’s a little bit of everything. 

These are the greatest NBA small forwards of all time. 

Born: Dec. 9, 1931 (Owensboro, Kentucky)

High school: Owensboro High School (Owensboro, Kentucky)

College: Kentucky

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds

Career: 13 seasons (1956-69)

Teams: St. Louis Hawks (1956-66), Dallas Chaparrals (1967-69)

Career highlights: NBA champion (1958), five-time NBA All-Star (1958-62), two-time All-NBA Team (1958, 1959), ABA All-Star (1968)

Born and raised in Kentucky, Cliff Hagan was a schoolboy phenom at Owensboro High before he starred at the University Kentucky for legendary head coach Adolph Rupp, where Hagan won a national championship in 1951 and was a two-time All-American. 

Nicknamed “Lil’ Abner,” Hagan was as good as any small forward in his era even though he delayed his professional career by two years with his military service. He was still a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA pick and won an NBA championship with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958. 

Born: May 7, 1978 (Waukegan, Illinois)

High school: Clarksville High School (Clarksville, Tennessee)

College: UNLV

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 228 pounds

Career: 16 seasons (1999-2015)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1999-2008), Miami Heat (2008-09), Toronto Raptors (2009), Dallas Mavericks (2009-14), Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-15)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2011), four-time NBA All-Star (2003, 2005-07), two-time All-NBA Team (2005, 2006), NBA All-Rookie Team (2000)

Shawn Marion’s nickname described his style of play pretty accurately. “The Matrix” could do anything on the basketball court. Marion could play shooting guard and power forward with equal aplomb, and could play shutdown defense on backcourt and frontcourt players alike, which made his true position small forward. 

Marion was the perfect complement to point guard Steve Nash in Phoenix and had a career year in 2005-06, averaging 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals.