John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born
March 26,
1962) is a former
NBA player. He spent his entire career (
1984–
2003) as a
point guard for the
Utah Jazz. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all-time, holding the NBA record for career assists and steals.
John Stockton was born and raised in
Spokane, Washington and attended Gonzaga Preparatory School. He then played college
basketball for
Gonzaga University in his hometown. He was selected by the Jazz in the first round (16th pick overall) of the
1984 NBA Draft.
Though only 6'1" in a league of giants, Stockton is considered one of the NBA's greatest point guards ever. He averaged a career
double-double, with 13.1
points and 10.5
assists per game. As of
2005, he held the NBA's records for career assists (15,806) and career
steals (3,265). He had five of the top six assists seasons in NBA history (the other belonging to
Isiah Thomas). He holds the NBA record for the most seasons and consecutive games played with one team, and is third in total games played, behind
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
Robert Parish. He missed only 22 games during his career, 18 of them in one season.
Stockton appeared in 10 All-Star games, and was named co-
MVP of the game in
1993 with Jazz teammate
Karl Malone. He played with the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic basketball teams, known as
Dream Teams I and II, the first Olympic squads to feature NBA players. He was selected to the
All-NBA First Team twice, the
Second Team six times, the
Third Team three times, and the
All-Defensive Second Team five times. He was named one of the
50 Greatest Players In NBA History in
1996. Stockton's career highlight came in Game 6 of the
1997 Western Conference Finals, in which he hit the winning shot over Houston's
Charles Barkley to send the Jazz to its first NBA Finals.
For many years, he and Malone were the Jazz's 1-2 punch. Most of Stockton's assists resulted from passes to Malone. In
Salt Lake City, this is commemorated by a car dealership with the name
Stockton to Malone Honda.
|
Bronze statue of Stockton |
Stockton earned the "
old school" tag for his physical play (surveys of athletes and fans alike often judged him among the toughest players in the NBA, usually just behind teammate Karl Malone); his uniform "
short shorts" (he was the last notable NBA player to wear them, clinging to the style long after the rest of the league had adopted today's baggy look); his conservative dress off the court, which contrasted with many of his NBA contemporaries; and his reserved behavior.
On May 2 2003, Stockton announced his retirement with a released statement instead of the customary news conference. The Jazz later held a retirement ceremony for him, in which Salt Lake City renamed the street in front of the
Delta Center, where the Jazz play, "John Stockton Drive." His number-12 jersey was retired by the Jazz during a game on
November 22,
2004. A statue of Stockton can be seen in front of the Delta Center; an accompanying statue of
Karl Malone was placed nearby on March 23, 2006. The Malone and Stockton statues stand on a bronze plaque commemorating their achievements together.
Stockton and his wife, the former Nada Stepovich (daughter of
Michael Anthony Stepovich, the last territorial governor of
Alaska), have two daughters, Lindsay and Laura, and four sons, Houston, Michael, David and Samuel. They live in Spokane next door to his parents.
*Stockton played 1,504 of 1,526 possible games in his 19-season career.
*He holds the NBA record for career assists with 15,806, and for assists per game over one season (14.5 in 1990). Moreover, he is one of three players who have logged more than 1,000 assists in one season, joining
Kevin Porter (1,099 in
1979) and
Isiah Thomas (1,123 in
1985) in the exclusive list. Stockton did this
seven times, with season totals of 1164, 1134, 1128, 1126, 1118, 1031 and 1011 assists.
Magic Johnson, another great point guard, topped out at 989. [
1]
*He holds the NBA record for career steals with 3,265, nearly 30 percent more than second placed
Michael Jordan, who had 2,514, and 800 more career steals than
Gary Payton, third on the list. [
2]
*Stockton never missed the playoffs.
*Stockton has one career
triple double, which came in a playoff game against the
Dallas Mavericks.Stockton was known for his unassuming, no-nonsense approach to the game, hard-nosed defense, and fanatical work-ethic in preparation. The legendary coach
John Wooden said that John Stockton was the only player in the NBA that he would pay to watch.Stockton avoided endorsements, and stayed loyal to Utah despite being offered significantly more money by other teams. He took a pay-cut to make salary-cap space so the team could improve; taking ice time for his son's hockey team instead.
*
BasketballReference.com: John Stockton*
John Stockton
