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SteemSports Editor:
Whose that white guy with the short shorts playing his defenders like a yo-yo in the pick and roll? Why IS he wearing those short shorts when everyone else is wearing them baggy?. We revisited Karl Malone the other day, and this time we're looking at part #1 of the 1-2 punch, John Stockton.
Arguably the most textbook guy to fill in the point guard slot of all time, John Stockton grew up in Spokane, Washington in a family that had a history in professional sports (His grandfather Hust Stockton played in the NFL in the 1920's). He was pretty good at playing ball, but people around him didn't predict he would make it in the NBA, much less be one of the greatest ever to take the floor. He attended college at Gonzaga University where he averaged 20.9 ppg while shooting a scorching 57% from the field. In 1984, he was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 16th pick. Utah didn't realize when they took Malone the very next year that they solidified the cornerstones of their franchise for almost the next two decades.
Stockton and Malone gelled so well because they both had a blue collar, workman's mentality about the game of basketball. Although he looked harmless, John was considered one of the toughest - even dirtiest - players in league history. He might stick a leg out and trip you as you were coming off a screen. Gary Payton didn't even want to step to him. He was only 6'1 but he wasn't afraid to set firm picks on players who towered over him and his full head of hair. His bread and butter game could be so predictable to a defense, yet he ran those same pick and rolls and you knew what was coming every time
If you had Karl and John on the same team, you could guarantee your team will be making the playoffs. The Jazz made the playoffs in all 19 seasons that Stockton suited up for them. Not only that, but he played in all 82 regular season games in an incredible 17 of 19 seasons. Durability can go a long way in cementing an NBA legacy. But it was durability that he earned through tireless preparation and an incorrigible will to keep chugging along.
He's got the most assists and steals in the history of the NBA by a healthy margin. Stockton has 15,806 dimes to his name while next up is Jason Kidd with 12,091. Kidd is also the next one to trail Stockton in an all-time category but this time for steals (Stockton 3,265 and Kidd with 2,684). A big reason he copped all those steals and assists was that he had some pretty huge hands. The size of his mitts helped him control the ball and shoot one-handed laser passes to guys like Karl Malone for a dunk or easy bucket.
While he's known as this legendary passer, he could get buckets when his team depended on him. In the 1989 playoffs, he averaged a superstar-level 27.3 ppg against the Golden State Warriors, even though they ended up getting swept. One of the greatest plays of his career was a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the mug of Charles Barkley against the Rockets in the 1997 Western Conference Finals. That shot ended the entire series and sent the Utah Jazz to their first NBA Finals in the history of the franchise. You can relive that moment here.
He's in the upper echelon of great players who never acquired an NBA championship. When he reflects on his career he doesn't let the lack of hardware define him. When asked about it he remarks, "A lot of this is about the journey. I'm sure there are people that have won championships who haven't had to work very hard at it. We worked very hard and haven't done it, and yet I feel a lot of reward out of the effort that it took to compete." A level-headed response from one of the steadiest hands to ever grip a basketball. Not flashy but there's truth to it - just like his play on the court.
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