Shooting guard

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Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest shooting guard in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Diana Taurasi (right) is regarded as a top shooting guard in the history of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,^[1] is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game.

A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for their team and steal the ball on defense.^[1] Shooting guards typically play the "wing" of the court and are generally expected to play better in isolation than other positions. Some shooting guards are tasked with being a "spot up" shooter, in which they are assigned to catch and shoot the ball, either on an open shot or in transition. They are also expected to have skills driving to the basket or creating separation on an isolation defender.

Some teams ask their shooting guards to inbound the ball and bring it up the court; these players are known colloquially as combo guards.^[2] A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman.^[3] In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) to 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) while in the WNBA, shooting guards tend to be between 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m).