JOHN STOCKTON
Some play a position exquisitely, just as it was designed. That would be John Stockton at point guard.
A fast, gritty, durable player who saw the floor as well as anyone who ever played the game, he left the NBA after 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz, holding a mass of assists records, including the career mark (15,806).
As Stockton giveth, he taketh away: He led the league in steals twice and, with a career total of 3,265, he retired as the NBA’s all-time leader. He also played all 82 games in 17 of his 19 seasons and his career shooting percentage was .515, a remarkable statistic for a guard.
“There absolutely, positively, will never ever be another John Stockton – ever,” said Karl Malone, Stockton’s teammate for 18 seasons.
The Jazz never missed the playoffs during Stockton’s career and they reached the Western Conference Finals five times in a seven-year span. The enduring image of Stockton is him sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer over Houston’s Charles Barkley in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals, and then embracing Karl Malone and Jeff Hornacek as they celebrated their first NBA Finals berth.
Perhaps the best passer in NBA history, Stockton also led the league in steals twice and retired as the all-time leader with 3,265. Not only did the Jazz never miss the playoffs with Stoickton as a player, but they reached the Western Conference Finals five times in a seven-year span. Utah went to consecutive NBA Finals, losing to the Chicago Bulls in six games in 1997 and 1998. After his final NBA game, a playoff loss in Sacramento on April 30, 2003, Stockton was asked to summarize his feelings about retiring without an NBA title.
“A lot of this about the journey,” he said. “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.”
SUMMARY
|
G |
FG% |
3PFG% |
FT% |
Rebs |
RPG |
Asts |
APG |
Stls |
Blks |
Pts |
PPG |
|
1,504 |
.515 |
.384 |
.826 |
4,051 |
2.7 |
15,806 |
10.5 |
3,265 |
315 |
19,711 |
13.1 |
Full Name: John Houston Stockton
Born: 3/26/62 in Spokane, WA.
College: Gonzaga
Drafted: Utah Jazz (16th overall), 1984
Transactions: Retired, 2003.
Nickname: N/A
Height: 6-6; Weight: 216 lbs.
High School: Gonzaga Prep School (Spokane)
Honors: All-NBA First Team (1994, ‘95); All-NBA Second Team (1988, ‘89, ‘90, ‘92, ‘93, ‘96); All-NBA Third Team (1991, ‘97, ‘99); NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1989, ‘91, ‘92, ‘95, ‘97); 10-time NBA All-Star; Olympic gold medalist (1992, ‘96); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).