How Good Was John Stockton Actually?

[@76JStucki]

How good was the all time leader in assists and steals? By a very wide margin? Pretty doggone good. Also, we need to stop asking how all-time-great players would fare in different eras. The answer is always the same: They'd still be great. The all time great players would adapt to whatever era they played in. This is true whether it's Bill Russell adapting to an era with much bigger centers, it's true if it's MJ adapting to an era with more 3 pointers, and it's true if it's LeBron adapting to an era with tougher defense. A great player is a great player. Period.

[@migueldegreef6565]

This is really well said

[@OneDayOfPain]

Even steph would be good in any era. Being able to drop 45 foot bombs is useful even in the 40s lol

[@_will795]

How good was Michael Jordan actually?

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

@@_will795 He alright.

[@PoliticusRex632]

So true, wonderfully said. All Time leader in 2 of the 5 major statistical categories at 6'1" and average NBA athletism. A purely modern player that played old school basketball. Came in same year as Jordan and retired same year.

[@jessecomitogianni8967]

I don’t remember where I read this, but my favourite fact about Stockton goes like this, roughly: “Jon Stockton is the most difficult man to trash talk. No matter how hard you try, he never gave a shit for what you had to say. Unbreakable spirit.” I love that concept. Being un-trashtalk-able during the 90s when trash talking was at its hardest.

[@Siddhartha040107]

Probably gary payton

[@majian73]

It is probably because Stockton does not speak any English. Lol

[@ajguevarra452]

You forgot Tim Duncan

[@snakeplissken9540]

Even Larry Bird admitted he only talked trash to John Stockton one time. It was his very first game and tht was it.

[@KymCarabeo]

He is like Tim Duncan on a point guard body. They both play like a robot, textbook move to perfection and show no real emotion.

[@MadSnake123]

Mind blowing to think that Jason Kidd would be the leader in assists and steals without any doubt, yet he is not only in second, he is in a far, far second place thanks to John Stockton. That man was a monster hidden behind an accountant costume.

[@dn8750]

That accountant persona was his motivation to become "THE machine"

[@descendency]

When Jason Kidd broke the mark to get into second place, he was basically at the end of a hall of fame career and only ~2/3s the way to Stockton's assist record.

[@vincenthammons6705]

@@rjodesigns2782 kawhi is just weird stockton knew how to talk to people at least

[@rjodesigns2782]

@@vincenthammons6705 agree, his a guy no drama just play guy, he like to keep his words short like what coach pop would always says on the interview lol

[@KZ-kl8fx]

Best white boy to ever play it makes me so mad he don’t get the recognition he deserves

[@slanderman3296]

Definitely a baller..........FOR LIKE 2 DECADES. He was absolutely dope and ruthless

[@unclequack5445]

He was a tough player and a great assist man no doubt.

[@migueldegreef6565]

Rarely got injured!

[@slanderman3296]

@@migueldegreef6565 extremely durable. He shoulda been the mailman, be he always delivered sweet passes. I bet the next big post man, will be called that, "the postman!" Hahhahaha that's nice. The postman

[@matthewowen4508]

@@migueldegreef6565 Rarely had major injuries, but he got injured all the time. So did Malone. They simply played through the pain.

[@bofootball30]

without Malone he was just another Danny ainge punk

[@trimishalalalala]

Stockton is that unassuming guy you play at the YMCA who gets picked last and when the game starts nobody can stop him and he doesn't say a word 😂

[@BeazerProductions]

He looks like the guy your dad would shoot hoops with on Saturday morning.

[@MG-ud2jo]

And he ends up in your top list of players to pick in a team ...

[@Dk_Him]

Fax

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

@@MG-ud2jo More like he never shows up again and he's this legend new guys think you made up.

[@matthewowen4508]

Still averaged 14, 10, & 2.2 per 36 at age 40 despite being a slower, smaller player. Unreal.

[@JonCombo]

@@retrosb Fully Stocked.

[@nathanc30]

He wasn't slow

[@matthewowen4508]

@@nathanc30 Wasn't slow...just not as fast as most PGs in the NBA. For most of his career he wasn't even the fastest PG on his own team...wasn't a fast twitch athlete like say a Steve Nash.

[@abcdefgh4404]

He still play bball on Sunday’s at Utah university and still in amazing athleticism and level.

[@MakaveliDior]

@@abcdefgh4404 He still playing ball ?

[@GigglewithFelix321]

He was the prefect PG, I was honored to be able to watch him play as a kid.

[@jesalcasid1601]

Wow

[@worstedfungus17]

the most prefect pg

[@ericsutherland3056]

And he was a better shooter than passer. If the offense had been designed for him, he would have the points record instead. But obviously MJ is the GOAT. But God dammit if Stockton isn't No 2.

[@slashbxe2832]

@@ericsutherland3056 he would not even be close to having the points record buddy he was a decent scorer at best

[@nicknack5697]

@@slashbxe2832 he has higher three point and fg percentage than mj so he is not a bad scorer at all. but his height leaves him at a disadvantage

[@MonteroOnBoxing]

Criminally underrated by younger fans today. Stockton is the best pure PG in NBA history and he fully deserved his spot on Team USA.

[@Mj-vh8gc]

​@easportz1369I think I'm more younger than you but I'll pick Stockton over Thomas over and over to that us dream team cause you only see point guard now that had handles that Thomas has a handles too he'd be better to Stockton.I know Thomas has a championship and Stockton was not but interms of pure complete perfect traditional point guard that we all know Stockton was on the top..

[@JStock1032]

All you need to do is look at his 3 best seasons. 17 pts, 14 assists, 3 steals on 53% from the field.

[@The1Mustache3]

When hand checking was allowed... people don't understand, they played defense in those years.

[@vantianhergheligiu12]

@@The1Mustache3 Wasn't defense illegal?

[@Nathan-zd8ew]

Lol steph curry does this every day

[@joshuaanderson4090]

Curry has never averages 14 assets and 3 steals a game for a season. Ever

[@gamergirl3000]

@@Nathan-zd8ew lmao

[@TheSacred55]

He was like Rodman in the sense you hated playing against him and you knew you were blessed if you had him as your teammate - dude was the most efficient point guard ever

[@Johnkoth]

Yep.and people don't realize how great he was at defense. Some claim his weakness was guarding tall guards. It was not a weakness. He guarded 6'7 Penny Hardaway very good. Lowering Penny's FG%. The same thing happened when he guarded other guards he lowered their FG%. He did that plus got alot of steals.

[@averyce2]

True basketball fans appreciate consistent greatness - that's why I admire John Stockton

[@solemagus4761]

totals were great but there are a slew of better point guards

[@Keiiluminati]

@@solemagus4761 skill wise yes, but you can’t deny his greatness. “Great totals” is a diss

[@kevinc3751]

Name a better two way point guard? When people say “better” they almost always mean offensively. That is true, but when you say “better” meaning as a point guard both offensively and defensively? There is not a “slew” of better point guards. That’s not even remotely close to true. Then people say “we’ll his records r because of how long he played…” again not true. Look at his best seasons of assists and steals and he holds most of those records too meaning it was both specific seasons he killed it and for his entire career.

[@SuperJijja]

John Stockton was a stud point guard of his time

[@anthonylira4706]

True but do you thing he would be the same stud in today’s era?

[@megatron4724]

@@anthonylira4706 if he still has that point guard mentality, then I'd say yes.

[@jordanneshirley6976]

@@anthonylira4706 yes

[@migueldegreef6565]

@@anthonylira4706 yes, his era was tough and he rarely got hurt. In the soft league today?

[@MoonMoon-fx1op]

@@anthonylira4706 absolutely

[@jessereilly8140]

Saw him play live at MSG against the Knicks..I was shocked how quick he was in person.Easily the quickest guy on the court

[@briansetpente1019]

Big Stockton fan him and Malone shame they never won a title 🙂

[@PIP...33]

@@briansetpente1019 BULLS HAD SUPERTEAM 4 HOF. BUT I DO AGREE WITH GUY ABOVE. I WROTE IN 1 COMMENT ON OTHER GUY SECTION THAT HE IS VERY RARE PG WHO DONT HAVE SPEED OR GREAT DRIBBLING. BUT WHAT IS VERY DIFFICULT UNIQUE, DUDE HAVE QUICKNESS BEST FIRST STEP DRIVE EVER.

[@dustyri04]

"Looks like an Accountant" At least someone said it. 😅

[@josefmayores5358]

Its always been said

[@nukez5292]

@@josefmayores5358 same for Steve Nash. Either that or a musician

[@SV-kr9fu]

Actually, Stockton looks kind of like my old math teacher (though, my old teacher's height was about 5'5"-5'6").

[@ellieeliandelliot7439]

I was thinking more in the line of Real Estate Agent.

[@tbiz8459]

He sort of looks like Noel Gallagher.

[@dayostical]

Gary Payton :"John Stockton was the hardest player for me to guard, and not Michael Jordan" MJ :"And I took that personally"

[@noobydoo3433]

Being a small guard during my younger years.. the biggest mistake of my life was to not pattern my game to this genius of a basketball player. I jumped on the band wagon of being "like mike" buying air jordans and making myself believe I could jump higher wearing his shoes (all those kid's stuff). I used to think JS was a dirty player but he needed to do it to be competetive and he sure did a great job at it. If only I could turn back time. JS is the perfect blueprint for unathletic small guards to pattern your game to. Absolute Legend and much respect!

[@AlonsoRules]

Stockton's assist record will NEVER be broken, ever. The most unbreakable of records. Up there with Joe DiMaggio hit streak and Brett Favre consecutive starts.

[@zzzvain9710]

WILT 100 PTS WILT 50 PPG WILT 49 MPG WILT 25 RPG WILT 22 RPG FOR CAREER STOCK TOTAL AST STOCK TOTAL STEALS THOSE WILL NEVER BE CATCH

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

Most Assists in a Season - 1,164 Highest Assist Average in a Season - 14.5 Most Season with 1,000+ Assists - 7 Most Season Led in Assists - 9 Most Consecutive Years Led in Assists - 9

[@larry2281]

Wayne Gretzky all time points and goals record as well. Cy Young 511 wins as well.

[@spaltersar]

@@zzzvain9710 Wilt consecutive games 40 ppg avg (515), Wilt 30-30 Games (128). these are truly unbreakable. No one is even close. if blocks were recorded before 1973, there might be some more.

[@maskcollector6949]

Heinicke will break Favre's record someday, I'll come back in like 17 years.

[@BoxiesAU]

An incredible player. No carry on, no showboating. Hits a shot… goes and plays defence. NBA players today could learn a lot from him

[@rudy1999]

Well ,it helps a lot when you are not injury prone.

[@jacksonisonline2049]

nice profile picture

[@uncappedsmile6416]

@@jacksonisonline2049 Nah I liked the Bird more. Entertaining and outspoken on the court, quiet and humble outside it.

[@losoworld5073]

Magic showboated ! It worked for him .

[@kimbertumen4382]

@@uncappedsmile6416 fckin true. Larry talks trash in games but is very humble outside the court.

[@poccoboy]

Unexpectedly dominating the game without saying a single word.

[@Dearest_Kenyetta]

His humble and determined mindset coupled with his work ethic seems to have been keys to his great success in his career during that time. Level headed and hard working. Awesome player!

[@jimries625]

No rings

[@karlbergen6826]

John Stockton and Karl Malone were well known in the 1990's. To really see him play you need to watch him in an all star game. He delivers the ball to each player differently. He delivered it in the way that player wanted to receive the ball. Find a video of an all star game with him in it. You'll see what I mean. Another thing is Stockton almost never lost his Cool on the court. Technicals were rare and I don't remember any ejections. One time Jerry Sloan lost it real bad and was out of control. John was a bled to get him to the tunnel.

[@marisolflandez3964]

I almost cried. Thanks for honoring him with this clip. Happy to grow watching him ❤

[@ControlledBalance]

Jordan, Stockton, Rodman, Larry Bird, Hakeem. That's my all-time starting five.

[@james2ts439]

I was once read where someone said, "Yeah, but he couldn't go left." My response was, "and yet they still couldn't stop him. Shows you how great he was! GOAT!"

[@aquaticlibrary]

Magic couldn’t go left at all and they say he’s the best pg ever

[@solcreate490]

Stockton was known to be ambidextrous, and you can see him constantly switching hands off the dribble if you actually watch him play. The guy who put that story out there cut together a limited number of plays from a single playoff game while ignoring 19 years of footage that shows Stockton using his left. The fact that many believe this myth so easily is disturbing, as it shows just how easy it is to lie about someone despite the evidence present.

[@spiderdog07]

@@solcreate490 NBA storyteller made a visually interesting video but I didn't realize how strong the bias was. There was Stockton hate for a while a few years ago. Bird also received a similar amount of disrespect a few years ago on KZbin

[@dylaneverhartmusic]

People literally just made that up, if you actually watch Stockton play even one game you see him use his left all the time

[@knightrider693]

His game translates in any era. If John played today he'd still be the best pg in the game

[@karlanthonymargate7362]

Ricky Rubio before he was injured in Cleveland averaged 13pts and 6 assist in 30 minutes of play. Rubio is not even half as good as John. For starters John was a much better shooter.

[@jumbothompson]

@@karlanthonymargate7362 When guys like Gary Payton and others say John Stockton was the hardest guy to play against, that's legit. Stockton was truly a great.

[@bp2000k]

I can’t believe how unappreciated he is as the best assist & steals PG like Karl as the second best scorer after Kareem? Because they never won a Championship? They are game changers to have a great duo harmony. Def a Top 5-3 PG of all time

[@davidelsea1296]

yep. and they have rings if it wasnt for the greatest player of all time.

[@raylopez99]

Not only that, Utah is a small town by NBA standards and IMO the refs call games so the big city teams can win, for favorable media exposure (happened in this year's NFL Super Bowl too, in the last few minutes Rams get refs to call plays they've not called the whole game so LA could win, and no, I don't care about American football or that much for either team). So Utah had to fight uphill against refs and they still made the playoffs numerous times, and probably with a cheap payroll. Having expensive, talented players in a big media city favored by the refs makes your stats better. Stockton and Malone had none of that.

[@jimries625]

Loser talk. U.

[@RebelEight-z7q]

I had a John Stockton poster in my room growing up, remembering watching the games as a kid and not really knowing much than the fact my dad thought he was a great nba point gaurd and the he was a fan.

[@aaronflowers8881]

I've been arguing with people about Stockton on Facebook. They don't have a lot of basketball knowledge. I think Stock is underrated. I have him as the number 3 PG behind Magic and Isiah.

[@Bluestar-bh3bf]

98 and 99 should’ve been Utah’s championship years

[@JoshDaGreat16]

They weren’t gonna get past San Antonio in 99

[@matthewowen4508]

Thank Jazz management. They failed in the draft for 12 straight years post-Malone leading into the championship runs. The only 1st-rounder that contributed was Greg Ostertag. The did hit on a couple of 2nds in Russell and Anderson, but they did a real disservice to Stockton and Malone's careers with their drafting. Made some decent trades and landed some good 2nd-tier FAs, but just a little bit better management would have landed the Jazz a ring in the 90s.

[@mo-wg1tg]

"i'm finna pass on this body , i'm jhon stocktin "

[@wakkawakkagaming3710]

He's the Peyton Manning of basketball: an athletically average player who used brains and hard work to stay relevant in a game where they were physically outclassed by most.

[@nimitshah1684]

Or like Tom Brady

[@AlonsoRules]

Stockton is the most scientific player to ever play in the NBA

[@tommycochran1019]

That’s extremely accurate

[@realbiscuitshield]

@@AlonsoRules He even looks like a science teacher lol

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Greg Maddox

[@kaeso101]

Watching this..i get the impression that John Stockton is the personification of practice makes perfect...he was disciplined...hard working and completely commitef to perfecting his craft and the results of which made him achieve all those records and be a basketball great.

[@lynsonalleyne9133]

😂kendrick made me come here.

[@sammysam2615]

He was and still is underrated. I personally have Stockton at my #2 greatest PG of all time. He was an absolute beast and never gave up or backed down.

[@abdiabdi5575]

True

[@MegaBg1982]

He was 10 time all star and was on Olympic team. That's not underrated, he was noticed.

[@nicksatwr4538]

That’s fucked curry is def better Stockton is not Ben top 5 most overrated player wver

[@Ichifate]

You're off it guy

[@mr.cookie7308]

I would say Stockton is #3 point guard all time. #1 and #2 are Magic and Ishiah Thomas. Still #3 is not bad at all for a white guy that looks like a high school math teacher and is so undersized.

[@terryonxbl8536]

John Stockton is the most underrated guard of all time, could be debatable of most underrated player of all time, Stockton was the most pure point game of all time. 🐐

[@SeanNg__n]

actually he's more overrated than underrated

[@HermitGRAB]

Elgin Baylor is most likely to have the most underrated player of all time.

[@matthewowen4508]

@@SeanNg__n You're either joking or ignorant.

[@Overtime_OChristisKing7]

@rafael Garcia I say the most underrated of all time is John Havlicek I always here about Baylor I here pretty much nothing about Havlicek

[@SeanNg__n]

@@matthewowen4508 nope

[@MrBobbyOcean]

Thank you for the great vid and showing props to my favorite player and the best pure PG to ever do it. As a kid growing up in SLC I will never forget the Stockton / Malone era. My Dad used to call Stockton "The Pasty Gangster" and that was so true. Dude was just plain hard.

[@tbarron1631]

Both of Stockton's records -- assists and steals -- will never be broken. Best PG ever.

[@123slasher.16]

Yet, could never in 4 years make a single NCAA Tournament, couldn't make the Olympic Team in college or win a NBA title. Funny how a star point guard won a gold medal before his first college game (and was MVP of the title game) and won a national title and Final Four MOP for the same coach that cut Stockton from the 1984 Olympic Team.

[@ryanrandolphjr779]

Top 10 all time players without a championship

[@bonvct]

Probably number 1 with Malone And Barkley

[@vikrantverma1125]

0 championship starting 5 Stockton Iverson Barkley Malone Ewing

[@jimries625]

They are called losers.

[@AJ_savage16]

Greatest PG of all time without a ring wish Stockton won one 💍

[@roehclydedalanon2787]

Much needed recognition for the best and purest point guard of all-time

[@jimjames199]

Magic or steph is the best

[@bruhmoment6620]

Best…?

[@josefmayores5358]

I dont think you guys read this right..he said "purest" point gaurd not point gaurd in general

[@joselagos1241]

@@jimjames199 Magic yes not steph

[@JR-wu8gf]

@@josefmayores5358 yeah he’s not better than magic in anything

[@fredtacang3624]

So he was the 'small" fundamental, in reference to duncan's monicker. No wonder they're among the greatest ever, esp for their respective positions. Duncan may even be GOAT PF, while stockton top 3 or 4 PG of all time

[@Fernando-fr5cu]

He has 2 records that will never be broken. Magic is the best PG, but Stockton is the best pure PG ever.

[@matthewowen4508]

People forget that Magic played SG at the beginning of his career and almost every other position at times including center in the championship. He was clearly the better player, but you are correct...best PURE PG to every do it.

[@jimries625]

No ring. The best? Ha!

[@777YOUniverse]

@@jimries625 I truly hope you're really not that stupid.

[@visoypinoy7647]

@@jimries625 Having a ring does not equate as being the best in the position. Teams win rings not a single position. Position wise, as a pure pg, he is the best.

[@wakawaka1976]

Went to a Jazz game in Utah… one of the 22 games Stockton missed and to top it off it was one of only 10 games Malone missed too. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@wakawaka1976]

What are the odds? 😭

[@manhattannewyork-fr5pd]

Don’t even think about playing the lottery with that luck

[@Bdsiy68593]

John Stockton was my 3rd grade football coach. I am from Spokane where he lives and he would also attend our church

[@nicolachita261]

My fav starting 5 includes him, Ray allen, Tmac, Chuck and Shaq.

[@elijahsabo3846]

I met him today at and he's a really nice down to earth guy.

[@sjshih]

Hands down the best and authentic PG ever. Glad I had the pleasure of watching lots of his games in his prime years!

[@agrilledcheesesandwich1530]

John Stockton always gets over looked. He’s the greatest PG to ever do it.

[@mizurp]

LOL

[@idkpls18]

I mean magic

[@UrinalUser]

Magic?

[@დათობედოიძე]

not even top 5

[@RED-sg2by]

@@დათობედოიძე see that's crazy. not number 1 but def top 5

[@MPHswayze]

"He was Kawhi Leonard before Kawhi Leonard" yes Stockton is exactly like an injury-prone athletic beast who sits tons of game & forced his way out of two cities w his entourage & Uncle

[@RafsanS15]

At most Stock missed 18 games in a season.

[@Tizoxic94]

@@RafsanS15 22 in total for his career, kinda insane

[@benisscrenis745]

Kawhis hurt

[@Pissgremlin5964]

I remember Stockton taking a bunch of games off too for "load management". Haha. These old schoolers would slap you in the face if you mentioned load management to them. I'm so glad I'm not a part of this soft generation.

[@286mic]

Spot on. What disrespect to Stockton comparing him to one of the softest players ever.

[@pduronhamiltonarch]

I’m old enough to remember watching JS school rookie Kobe Bryant in their first matchup. It was pretty amazing to watch

[@angelmatos9143]

My favorite NBA 'total mic drop' was hearing Wilt Chamberlain say he would start a franchise today with "Johnny Stockton"

[@123slasher.16]

He said that during halftime of Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, moments before a star point guard name Isiah Thomas set 2 records for points in a quarter and steals in a NBA Finals game. Bob Lanier reached over and touched Wilt's forehead to see if he was sick . I have that on tape I recorded back on 6-19-88. Wilt Chamberlain in his life was known for saying some of the most ridiculous things, like Richard Nixon would be the best man for the presidency.

[@michaelbuddy]

@@123slasher.16 showsyou don't know much about Nixon and Wilt did.

[@123slasher.16]

@@michaelbuddy and you wonder why Wilt lost the NCAA title game and all those NBA Finals. If John Stockton was the best he could do, he would be ringless just like Stockton.

[@universalplayz7496]

​@@123slasher.16 Stockton would prob be wilts best possible teammate That pick n roll would prob let wilt average 50 his whole career at that point lol

[@123slasher.16]

@@universalplayz7496 how that crap work out with Karl Malone, the 2nd all time leading scorer? So another guy who choked in big games is going to make the other choker great too? Make it make sense.

[@Mesh1824]

My underappreciated players Moses Malone Tim Duncan Elgin Baylor Clyde Drexler John Stockton

[@russell2890]

That's a fantastic team

[@hijisfriend9030]

Dang, this team could win some chips

[@hoopleaguehouse2475]

@@hijisfriend9030 LOL put 5 stars on the same team and they'll 5peat

[@Carbun4732]

AI

[@hollybigelow5337]

"Those games were closer than people think." That is very, very true. As a Jazz fan watching during those days, I learned very quickly that the Jazz played in basically a perfect sine curve. They would win by a big margin, then play a close game, then lose by a big margin, then play a close game, then win by a big margin starting the pattern over again. It was very frustrating, but it was so predictable that I knew going into the game if we were going to win by a big margin or lose by a big margin. The only question marks were the close games. They did this in playoff games for years. I also still distinctly remember that the referees in the game went out of their way to cheat against us. I was told this was because we were the smallest market and they didn't want us to get to the finals, and then when we got to the finals they wanted Michael Jordan to go out a winner in his final year (both years we made it to the finals Jordan had announced it would be his final year). In one close game with the Bulls in particular the local announcers pulled out all of just the shot clock miscalls that could be proven by video footage. This includes Jazz shots that were well before the shot clock that weren't counted and Bulls shots that were well after the shot clock that were counted. I'm remembering from a long time ago that the number of miscalled shots that they showed back to back were 10. The Jazz lost the game by I think 2 points. Those miscalled shots mattered. The problem was the sine curve. If the Jazz played a close game and lost due to ref cheating, the opponent would then justifiably pull out a loss by a big margin game to show that generally the Jazz suck and ref cheating can't possibly have made a difference to the overall outcome of the series. Of course, they would conveniently forget the large margin wins against the same opponent in that argument. Also, where we hit the series in the sine curve would really matter. For instance, the year the Bulls beat the Jazz early in Game 6 if I remember correctly the Jazz had just played the crappy game followed by a close game. There was plenty of cheating by the refs in that game to make sure the Bulls won. A lot of people assume even if that hadn't happened the Bulls still would have won in the final game. They were considering things like home court advantage. What they weren't considering is if the Jazz stayed true to their pattern the Jazz were due for a big win the very next game. Anyway, yes, I am still a bit bitter about those days. I will still say that in the game where Michael Jordan got the flu even as a Jazz fan I had to admit a sick Michael Jordan singlehandedly outplayed the entire Jazz team that night. I had a ton of respect for him after that game and understand why people love him. And honestly even if I felt the Bulls had truly outplayed our team both years I would feel like we had our chance but we blew it. But we will never know if the Jazz overall really were the better team in that series and deserved to win because of the blatant cheating on the part of the refs. To be fair, cheating wasn't just about teams. Star players also were less likely to be called for fouls, and Karl Malone definitely took full advantage of getting away with technical fouls that weren't called as much as Dennis Rodman or Michael Jordan got away with it. Michael Jordan actually probably did less of it, but team to team Michael Jordan is better compared to John Stockton who also did less of it. But even both of those players engaged occasionally in getting away with leveraging their elite status to not get called on fouls. So maybe if the cheating was completely eliminated the Jazz still would have lost. But I personally seriously doubt it. The cheating never mattered in the blow out games, but it mattered significantly in the close games. And what makes it particularly painful is that as a small market with little money, the odds that the Utah Jazz will ever get another chance to even play in the finals are miniscule. As a big market that has more money, the Bulls will be given plenty of other opportunities. Also, the fact that Michael Jordan was able to play the "last season" card both years was a bit painful. If we had won the first time, giving the Bulls a chance to let Michael Jordan leave as a winner the second year would hurt a little less. Or if he had actually left the first season as he promised and the Jazz didn't have to go up against everyone's desire for him to go out a winner the second year I think their chances of winning the second year would have been better. It would have been different if that desire hadn't led the refs to cheat on his behalf and the Bulls had genuinely fairly won their victory as well. But I will always feel like the Jazz were genuinely the better team both years and they had their deserved title stolen from them the only two times in history they even had the chance to fight for it. The fact that they managed to perservere in spite of the rampant cheating that tried to stop them from going to the finals in the first place is a pretty significant acheivement. Although even then it still came down to a last second basket from John Stockton. I remember that shot well. You could hear the entire valley cheering when he hit that shot. It was a pretty special time. And if the Jazz had won a national title I bet that alone would have increased John Stockton's national profile, so keep in mind that everything John Stockton acheived, he acheived it on a team that nationally was being rigged to not be able to compete. The cheating was an open secret. Everyone knew the refs did what they could do to get the most marketable teams into the finals. Fortunately, there is only so much cheating the refs felt they could get away with, and John Stockton's hard work specifically is one of the reasons the Jazz were able to get as far as they did against the odds.

[@17thN.O]

It was Magic, Zeke and Stockton as the greatest ever PGs

[@jishan6992]

Most humble man in NBA

[@garrison6863]

The team that they had with these two and Eaton, was really awesome.

[@bonvct]

My favorite fucking player of all time. Vastly underrated somehow....I mean all time assists leaders by like 3,000 to number 2 (which I think is Jason Kidd)

[@jimries625]

No rings. Remember?

[@kimbertumen4382]

@@jimries625 your point is stupid, no rings doesnt take away his greatness.

[@JeBronLames2020]

Karl and John are one of the best duos ever

[@jimries625]

No rings

[@thaen25]

@@jimries625 mj

[@remilarose-debilly8047]

Best passer of all-time

[@jimries625]

No.

[@bulwyf2572]

Stockton is the greatest point guard in NBA history. There is no debate.

[@jimries625]

U r a fool. There is no debate. He has no rings. Grow up.

[@lfagramonte]

Stockton has the all time assist and steal records!!! In short terms Stockton was a true baller super tough on the court. Watching him play in his prime was awesome

[@ellieeliandelliot7439]

Stockton was not Kawhi Leonard before Kawhi Leonard. Stockton almost played all 82 games a season for his career.

[@migueldegreef6565]

Did not need load management 😂

[@jasonmoukala8909]

@@migueldegreef6565 what’s wrong with load management

[@kingpanda8861]

John Stockon is quite important to me and my family because me and my family were all born and raised in Salt Lake City

[@samirchehaita6487]

Who's here after kendrick mentioned John Stockton

[@M0STD0P3SOCIETY]

Loser lol

[@samuelguillaume9489]

Me 😂

[@moshtaghmotazedian8497]

Me😂. I'm Persian and lots of my friends didn't know about that mention. I told them

[@blacklegacyassets]

Me but I been knew bout Stockton

[@SamuelThomas-tc3dv]

Me G

[@instantcinematique364]

I know nothing about basket my favorite sport is football but i watch a lot of others sports and for some time now I have been enjoying watching the play offs but nothing more , your channel help me to know some legends of that sport . If anyone have some way to learn about it more I’m here for it So keep doing your amazing work man , be safe

[@danielleweber9730]

Continuing to work and play hard on the defensive end of the court at the age of 40 is the most impressive aspect of Stockton’s game for me personally!!

[@thisisgame]

consistency is better than flashiness, the true GOAT point guard

[@jimries625]

😂

[@JStock1032]

His knee injury occurred in 1992. Instead of missing the Olympics, he played on greatest team ever assembled with fractured leg and got surgery after the Games. That's why he missed the first 18 games of the 1992-93 season.

[@flibbidyx2]

Stockton played all 82 games in 1992-93. It was the 97-98 season where he missed the first 18 games.

[@matthewowen4508]

Nope. The year he missed 18 games was 97-98, & it was due to a preseason MCL injury that required surgery...no choice involved.

[@Trainy2]

Between Hornacek and Stockton, the Jazz had the NBA's two most non-NBA looking guys.

[@TheSiemek]

Love this dude. I hated Jazz when I was younger, but always admired Stockton. He was the best PG of the best NBA era.

[@jimries625]

Ha!

[@darryldavis3636]

He's probably around a top 30 - 35 player of all time. top 4 PG. He was a really good shooter off the dribble and as a spot up shooter. I think he should've shot more in his playing days. He should've looked to get up 14 shots per game with 20 ppg. If he played today on these easier rims he would average 24 a game on 65% shooting and 45% on threes People don't talk about this but as a PG he was probably a top 3 or 4 Shooter of all time with Curry, Price, Lillard and a few others.

[@Luke-pl9gu]

Yeah he is a top 4 pg. My top 4 being 1. Magic Johnson 2. Steph curry 3. Isiah Thomas 4. John Stockton

[@lukecash3500]

He doesn't care how anyone would prefer for his stats to look. I mean would him shooting more have made his team win? And isn't it a tradeoff anyways because he would have a lower fg% with more attempts?

[@matthewowen4508]

Coaches wanted him to shoot more at times, but he was totally unselfish. Also keep in mind that today's guards shoot about 3-4 times as many threes as they did back then.

[@garyyidsen6574]

He is the greatest PURE point guard of all time no questions about it but he’s for sure one of the best shooters in the nba I don’t know about being top 4 in best but he’s most definitely up there

[@neilfabay11s]

He's a constant guy. Rarely gets hot but also rarely gets cold. With his work ethic, it's only a matter of time before he rivals curry for the goat shooter title

[@barrymorgan5104]

If Magic Johnson doesn't exist, then Stockton is, by far, the greatest point guard ever. Hard as steel and as aggressive as a wolverine.

[@jimries625]

Ur ridiculous. The greatest ever with no ring?

[@twistedladder3506]

Rings matter the least when determining how good players are, sorry to burst your bubble. Rings are just clout

[@WilliamtheWorst]

I grew up a massive Lakers fan and Stockton was an absolute killer.

[@BigJoe2.0]

He is so under rated nowadays. Like his whole career really. Dude was a beast at what he did.

[@MoonMoon-fx1op]

People look at me crazy when I say Stockton is the best point guard of all time

[@Jaaduurocks]

Oh man, didn't know he played QB in football... now that's a really good what if. Considering the amount of assists he racked up and debatably has the best passing vision ever... I can only imagine how that would translate to QB reads, Finding WR's, reading the defensive scheme? And his mobility? Now that's a very interesting alternate timeline.

[@anthonyp7051]

Any era he’d be the best pg Defines the position

[@jimries625]

Defines what? No rings?

[@towlie710]

He makes my top ten which some people cannot agree with. Exceptional on both sides of the court, competing with Jordan several times in the finals and him and Malone together is sadly overshadowed by Malone being a piece of shit off the court but unbelievably effective. If I want a point guard I'm probably even picking him over Magic and Steph. Those records are great but per season he was killing it too. Could down clutch shots too for the best passer in history. He's not the Goat and those lack of championships is a drag but damn would he make anyone on his team shine!

[@markdarragh6620]

I couldn't see taking him over Magic. Magic could completely take over a game and dominate. Stockton was a defensive liability in the paint, and teams took advantage of this by inverting their offensive sets, forcing Stockton to defend taller guards on the post.

[@jamescameronssonic5810]

When the Jazz finally win a championship I'm gonna bawl like a baby

[@jimries625]

Ain’t gonna happen. Guaranteed

[@ayske1]

First discovered Stockton from the 1988 roster. 30 years later rockin the purple jazz jersey!

[@impasse0124]

I’m most impressed by his resting heart of 35bpm 😂 It’s no wonder he was so quiet on the court.

[@raylopez99]

Yep and people who live to 100 also have that characteristic. Some relatives of mine did, and got about that far, one exactly that, but unfortunately I don't have their DNA.

[@kathyheavner3585]

He and Malone were sooo much fun to watch. I'm so thankful I got to watch games live in the 80s and 90s NBA was wonderful then. Today's game is dunks, three pointers and spoiled athletes. Boring.....

[@BrianBrown-vd1vv]

In my opinion the greatest point guard ever. I'd also argue that he was not dirty. He played hard and didn't give an inch, but he didn't give cheap shots, mug players, or talk trash. Today's NBA is just ridiculously soft compared to Stockton's heyday.

[@KimfromSoCal]

This is why Magic is considered the best by nearly everyone: Stockton: 13.4 points, 10.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 182 games in the playoffs in his career. Magic Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 12.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 190 games in the playoffs in his career.

[@llydrsn]

He never cared about flash and style, he just gets results. On this age of "load management" and players routinely getting injured despite getting the best training and medical attention ever, his longevity and consistency is truly legendary!

[@robertdaniels-lane7321]

Tim was not “under the radar” or “underrated”. Everybody knew how dominant Tim was, he was just like John, they weren’t flashy and just focused on their craft both on and off the court. People say they’re “boring”, but that’s what made them different from others. 😁

[@ex0duzz]

Who's Tim?

[@aminestoisthebesto806]

I miss hearing Hotrod Huntley’s voice say “Stockton to Malone” 😢

[@Michael_Page]

Super duper good. Second best PG ever...with respect to Steph and Zeke. He averaged better numbers than Nash's back to back MVP years...for a decade. He was a very useful rotational player at 40 plus years old.

[@solcreate490]

Stockton was the best player in the first round series against the top seed Kings in 2002. He was forty, yet he was absolutely dominating the game through pace control, and bothering the Kings a great deal. Only foul trouble in Game 3 of that series really got him under control. As it was, thanks to Stockton, a depleted Utah team led by a 40-year-old and a 38-year-old, came within a handful of points of sweeping the top seed Kings in the first three games. Malone also played Webber to a near-standstill in that series, despite being a decade older. Both were a couple of freaks so far as greatness into old age. And both are now being greatly underrated historically.

[@jimries625]

No ring. Grow up. Not truly great.

[@mikedl1105]

They call him dirty, but only because he wasn't afraid of taking a charge from a bigger guy

[@flibbidyx2]

If Mike Conley can be an all-star in 2021, then Stockton could have been as well. That's not a knock on Conley at all - it's just a statement about how not every PG in today's game is an athletic freak like Westbrook or Lillard. Stockton had the tools to compete in any era. Even Baron Davis, a highly athletic point guard, admitted to being schooled by a 38-year old John Stockton.

[@ML-yu5ij]

I wouldn't place Conley in the same sentence as Stockton .

[@flibbidyx2]

@@ML-yu5ij I never said they were the same, just using Conley as an example of a relatively unathletic PG who is still quite successful in today's game.

[@solcreate490]

Stockton was a very athletic player. He had massive hands, a heartbeat that was half that of a normal man's, and a legit first step through his mid-30s. I'll always remember the scouting report on Steve Nash out of college. It read: "comparisons to Stockton are only skin-deep. Stockton in his mid-30s is faster and more explosive than Nash at 22". Nash was able to win two MVPs while being a notably less athletic player than Stockton in this modern era. If anything, as Nash showed, the removal of hand-checking (2004-05) has made things much easier for guards than when Stockton played.

[@ChaoticHeretic]

Another crazy thing about Stockton was he was often called superman Because off the court he acted like any other dad and drove a minivan but when he put his Jersey on he turned into a beast.

[@tjedwards4254]

He was perfect for Utah. Clean, efficient, quiet and kind.

[@NoSpinster0909]

And white

[@salmonkill7]

I played for the Richland Bombers during the era of John Stockton at Gonzaga Prep, with Richland, WA being the dominant high school basketball program at that time. Gonzaga Prep is now the better high school basketball program post-John Stockton! The Richland guard that played against John Stockton as a junior was 6'4" Brian Kellerman that started for Idaho Vandals in a four year DIVISION 1 Idaho Vandals era that saw IDAHO beat some top 4 to top 8 NCAA Midwest teams back when the BIG 10 was the top NCAA Conference in the Nation! John Stockton was the hardest working man in the NBA at the guard position and he was the TOUGHEST NBA guard mentally and physically!! When my two sons played summer league AAU I often ran into John Stockton during the summer league AAU season. John is a really nice guy that would talk to you casually if you approached him and John was an excellent family man!

[@ChiTownOriginator]

Best PG of all time

[@dannyfennessy3385]

Top 10 gifted athlete the last 100 years. Incredible toughness, determination and true grit. Let his game do most of the talking. I hated watching him Sunday afternoons in the 90s. Dude solidified I'd never make to NBA.

[@jimries625]

Ha! No rings. Don’t u get it?

[@AmbushRabbit]

imagine if stockton played with jordan.... in the 90s

[@micci9865]

That photo of GP holding his neck due to pain was freaking hilarious 😂😂😂

[@lefty577]

Can make a case for him as best pg ever. Very underrated.

[@cadengushlaw9358]

He is the greatest point guard of All time.

[@c.pexxinnhho]

1st: Magic Johnson 2nd: Stephen Curry 3rd: John Stockton

[@apostasishind87]

@@c.pexxinnhho my 2k mycareer would like a word

[@cadengushlaw9358]

@@c.pexxinnhho no in passing and stealing Stockton

[@callahanoshea4642]

Cap

[@butchapolinar2305]

also the perfect pointguard

[@cdub5072]

I grew up a Lakers and Magic Man, so I hated him, but now I realize how great he was and respect that guy more than ever!

[@KelGhu]

Magic and Stockton were my two favorite players. I'm a Laker fan, but didn't mind Stockton thrashing them. 😆

[@allanwatima9193]

A cultural song brought me here

[@markdarragh6620]

Dude was crazy good. He was also sneaky dirty. But he got away with it, so more power to him. I always wondered what Malone's career points total would look like without Stockton...