John Stockton
(Born 1962)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2009
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: PG
Height: 6’1″
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John Stockton was a point guard, out of Gonzaga University, who led his Utah Jazz team to the playoffs in each of his nineteen seasons. Stockton was one of the greatest point guards of all time. He was a tough, hard-working player who was not afraid to set screens on bigger, stronger players. John finished his career with more assists and more steals than any other player in NBA history. These two records still stand today.
John paired up with Karl Malone to form one of the most effective duos in NBA history. Malone, the recipient of many of Stockton’s assists, is the second leading scorer in NBA history, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In addition to his stellar passing, John was also able to score the ball himself. He had a clutch jump shot and he could take the ball to the hoop and finish. Stockton had career average of 13.1 points and 10.5 assists per game.
Awards and Honors
- Stockton was a ten-time NBA All-Star and was the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1993.
- John is the NBA career leader in assists with 15,806. The next closest to him is Jason Kidd with 12,091. Stockton led the NBA in assists nine consecutive years (from 1988-1996) and was in the top ten in assists seventeen times in his nineteen-year career.
- Stockton is also the NBA career leader in steals with 3,265. Second is,again, Jason Kidd with 2,684. John led the NBA in steals per game twice: in 1988-89 with 3.2 steals per game and again in 1991-92 with 3.0 steals per game.
- John was part of the Dream Team that won the Olympic Gold Medal in Barcelona in 1992. He also won gold with Team USA in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
- Stockton was named to the All-NBA First Team twice, the All-NBA Second Team six times, and the All-NBA Third Team three times. He also was selected All-Defensive Second Team five times during his career.
Points of Interest
- Some wondered if the 6’1″ Stockton would be able to physically handle the rigors of the NBA. Not only did he handle playing in the NBA, but he became a superstar who played every game in seventeen of his nineteen years in the NBA.
- Known for his passing, John finished in the top ten in 2-pt field goal percentage nine times, showing his effectiveness as a shooter. His career shooting percentage of .515 is remarkable for a guard.
- In 1991, Stockton set the record for the most assists in a season with 1,164.
- Although John Stockton and Karl Malone never won an NBA Championship, they did reach the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. There they ran into the Chicago Bulls featuring Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman.
- John was honored with a statue in front of the Utah Jazz’s arena on March 30, 2005.
- Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said that Stockton was the NBA player that he most enjoyed watching and the only one that he would pay to see play.
Statistics
John Stockton Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com