What are you talking about?? If he didn't have any respect, why was he on the 92 Dream Team?? Don't need no little TH-camr to justify this man's career.
@@originalgameronline3457 Stockton was originally picked behind Isaiah Thomas but because Jordan and Pippen refused to play with Thomas, Stockton got in. Also, a lesser known fact is that John Stockton was the only person Jordan did not trash talk to.
@@tobycha5203 Yeah we already know that. That's why Magic didn't fight for his friend Isaiah. It almost tore their friendship up. Jordan didn't trash talk a lot of people. Not everyone was scared of Jordan. My point is, in the 90's, we already knew Stockton was great. The Dream Team was 1992, he wouldn't face Jordan in the finals for another 6 years. So just to be considered behind Thomas was amazing. Only maybe 30 people in the world could've played on that team, and he was one of them.
I'll never forget seeing him get 20 points, 28 assists, and 8 steals against my spurs, or 23 points, 24 assists and 5 steals against the lakers. He was one of those unique guys who could dominate a game in a variety of ways. There are players who are good at everything, but Stockton was GREAT at everything.
"Of the 6 highest total assist seasons in NBA history, John Stockton has 5 of them." I watched this guy play his whole career and did not know that little tidbit. Awesome.
Prior to John there had been only a single 1000 assist season in NBA history. John had 1000+ in 5 consecutive seasons, had 987 the next to break the streak, and then had 2 more 1000 seasons just because. 7 out of 8 seasons.
Unrelated to how unquestionably great of a player he was. In the late ‘80s early ‘90s I was going through tough times as a kid, and one day I got a hold of a basketball Beckett that had all the NBA teams addresses. I wrote to EVERY star (at least 20) I could think of explaining my situation. I waited and waited and got nothing in the mail. Then one day I got a letter from Utah. It was from John Stockton! Inside was a hand written letter asking me how I was doing and telling me to keep my head up, along with an autographed picture to ME. It was the best thing ever to happen to young me and I’ve never forgotten about it. PS I did eventually get letters from Shaq’s fan club too, but nothing personal.
That story made me tear up. I enjoyed seeing John play during my childhood as well. Watching him in the playoffs allowed me to escape harsh upbringings as a kid. I hope everything turned out great for you Joe. It certainly has for me. I’m grateful for it.
This man averaged ~3 steals per game and ~14 assists per game for 4 seasons in a row... no wonder his records are untouchable. Absolutely insane numbers, and that FG% too...
@@jayou1987 Chris Webber talks about Stockton showing up to games in his minivan with his kids. I think the quote goes something like "He would show up to games in his minivan with his kids and bust us up."
@@OjoRojo40 He played in the time when you were allowed to touch the opposing team. It was actually hard to make points because there were 5 defenders instead of mannequins. The job of the pg back then was not to score, but to hand the ball in a silver plate to the center or the power forward. So the assist metric was extremely important.
@@Alientcp You don't understand shit. To begin with, assists are not even defined in the official nba rulebook (if you can find the definition please send me the link). Number 2, an assist says NOTHING about the quality of the pass!! How many assists did stockton get passing the ball to malone in the low post for him to do all the work???? 5000?? 6000, 7000 assists maybe??? Do you understand now the issue with the metric and how bad it's to measure anything????
OjoRojo40 The pass may have been bad but it was still good enough to be turned into points every player does bad passes you can’t tell me Magic Johnson or Steve Nash didn’t throw bad passes and I get what your meaning as a metric but assists are still important I mean if there was no one to pass to Kareem do you think he will be the all time leader in points
Agreed. Would you ever want the ball in Rondo's hands on the last possession to win a game? I think most 90's Jazz fans wanted the ball in Stockton's hands, not Malone's, to hit a game-winner.
and yet he never struggled to guard him in the playoffs... look at the numbers and the actual games. Gary Payton says a lot of things but this one makes no sense.
Mrwn B Well considering John Stockton has a winning record in the playoffs and regular season against Gary Payton, I'm not sure what you're telling us to look at
@@callystarr well Stockton averaged about 13 pts a game against Payton. Which was below his average. If that’s your offensive powerhouse I don’t know what games you’re watching...
A lot of nephews need to be reminded. He's been a forgotten as on of the GOATs. He was the best PG of the 90s and it's not even up for debate. Some records he has might not be broken in our lifetime.
@@marcusmcneal7453 Bruh........Magic Zeke Gary Payton Jason Kidd Penny Hardaway Tim Hardaway Kevin Johnson Pistol Pete.........were all better than John stockton......all the assists to Karl Malone were not that impressive. He was a system player who ran the offense but he couldn't take over a game or stop any all star pg on defense..........just stop it bruh
Isaiah Thomas, magic Johnson, Gary Payton, are telling how great of a point guard John Stockton was his career stats are amazing an he played in a tougher league an he went against MJ back to back years Big respect to that Utah team in the 90s
Big men were more valuable in NBA Jam, especially in TE. Stockton being much smaller was a disadvantage for that series. Charlotte /Chicago/ Houston were the power houses in that series.
Dude- hell ya! I ran fools at the 7-11 my junior year of high school. Unstoppable with them. My 3 letter name was always at the top and was IRE (my shortened version of "Irie"...I am sure you can figure out why). One night I was there to buy some stuff and maybe play and two like 9 year olds were staring at the list of names and I was behind them waiting to see if they were gonna play or not. One of them said "I wonder who IRE is?" and looming over them I said "Thats me" and they looked at me in awe. I decided to walk out after that and leave them marveling at my greatness. I'm a mix of a jock and a nerd and still to this day I have pride in that moment and how much I owned with Stockton and Malone. Class of 1992. Peace out and big props to Stockton!!
duncan definetly. wasn't a flashy player but rock solid and could almost score at will (it was impossible to block his jump shot). I don't think duncan really had OFF NIGHTS (slumps) like many NBA superstars can have.
Every game used to be (mostly) played by men who were, at their core, gentlemen. Now,... if you dont have a wife AND side-bitch; some kind of supercar; earrings larger than fuckin' dice; a Twit-Twat account that blows-up with every breath-you-take; and massive, gaudy tattoos that are indecipherable, and carry guns into strip clubs and on airplanes, you're a damn 2nd tier pussy.
Nuradin Alas I was fortunate to have season tickets for the spurs from 85-2000. I saw Stockton play live at least 20 times. He is the best guard I ever saw on a game to game basis.
@@fruitiusmaximus925 Lookup responses from Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr, Charles Barkley when guarding Stockton. I'll trust their opinions over yours.
When you said the part about him being 4 league leading seasons ahead of second best in assists and steals my jaw dropped. This is where the numbers speak loudly. Amazing, had no idea.
I shared it in a comment above but shared another way, you could combine Jason Kidd's entire career with the years CP3 spent in NOLA and you wouldn't break Stockton's assist and steals records until partway through the final season in NOLA. In otherwords, combine a HOF player's career with a good chunk of another HOF player's career and you barely break Stockton's records. Insanity.
@@neotrope There is only one team that won a championship with only 1 20 point per game scorer was the 1st Houston Rocket team. He never averaged 20 and could not take over a game . Ron Harper played the passing lanes and let him shoot. Let Steph Curry shoot lll
True. For a little white guy, he was quick as hell and could turn up the speed when needed. Watch him beat everyone down the court in some of those fast break highlights for reference. Plus knowing that he was just as good passing the ball as he was attacking the rim makes you want to slack off and pick up the man he's passing to, but that gives him just enough opening to go for his own shot.
Yup. Stockton would make the correct play. Give him a passing lane, boom. Close up the passing lane, swish or slash. Honestly the best point guard hands down.
15,806 assists and 3,265 steals for 1 NBA team... 2 records that may never be broken. The best true point guard ever, and the last NBA player wearing short shorts. A true legend of the game.
Being a “pure point guard” is overrated and there’s a reason why almost all of them hasn’t won a ring. Magic Johnson and maybe Isiah Thomas are exceptions. Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, John Stockton all have struggled winning playoff games unless they weren’t the best players on their own team (Stockton and Kidd).
@@subairali8075 Jason Kidd won a title with Dallas in 2011. Bob Cousy, Slater Martin, Oscar Robertson, Dennis Johnson, Jerry West (he played a lot of PG role too)... just to name a few more all won rings in their heyday. It's all bout being part of a winning team, does not matter who's the top dog of the team. Saying "almost all" true point guards never win rings is such an ignorant statement. The greatest NBA teams ever ALL had reliable guards (SG and PG alike).
@@mr.sinjin-smyth Jason Kidd was the 3rd option on a championship team outside of his prime. Bob Cousy was the 2nd best player next to bill Russell Oscar Robertson never won a ring as the best player and was kareems sidekick. Jerry west wasn’t a “true point guard” he was a score-first player. No true point guard has has any success as the best player on a championship teams besides 6’9” Magic, who’s an exception.
John legacy goes beyond just his NBA career, which by all standards "legendary". He bought the Utah Jazz's old hardwood floor and had it installed at his Washington college, Gonzaga (a building called the Warehouse, I stood on it this past weekend). John's loyalty is at a whole different level.
I love this guy. The way he moves the ball is pure art. he's very humble and doesn't bring himself under the spotlight very often, that's why nobody talks about this dude hahaha but for whoever watched ball back then, we all know he has a special place in our heart.
People (mostly youngsters in my experience) overlook him because he didn't score a lot of points. And a lot of people misinterpret his lack of scoring as "he couldn't score", which couldn't be farther from the truth. Stockton CHOSE to be a facilitator for his teammates because he believed it was the best chance for team success. The man shot over 50% from the field for his CAREER... as a 6'1 point guard, that's a ridiculous number. If he had a selfish bone in his body he could have easily averaged over 20 PPG AND still put up ridiculous assist totals. He's one of the best to ever put on sneakers. Top 20 all time
Jerry Sloan said John could score 30 points per game if he were more me-oriented, but that wouldn't have made the Jazz a better TEAM. Coach John Wooden said something akin to Stockton being the only player he would pay to watch night in and night out.
@Notorious1503 Stockton definitely should have scored more early in his career - Jerry Sloan, who was hardly a proponent of selfish basket ball, said so at the time. But I think he eventually got to the proper balance. He still could have scored a lot more, but his percentage would have suffered and the team probably wouldn't have scored as much.
John Stockton is someone I call "The Quiet Assassin" . When looking at him dribbling the ball he looks like he's whistling while doing this. The song or verse from a song I think suits him is "I get knock down but I get up again, ain't nothing gonna keep me down". This describes how he played to me.
The pick and roll was so efficient because John's efficiency at shooting the rock was outstanding, he was also like an automatic shooter, his mechanics were steady and amazingly consistent
Yea to think he coulda shot 3 pointers all day but went for the higher percentage play EVERY time... he coulda easily been a top 10 scorer too, but that wasn't his position the way he saw it. Best point guard EVER
No, he wasn't. Both Magic and Oscar were better before him. Arguably Isiah, too. Steph has been better since. If you said "pure point guard" you would have an argument, but he's not the greatest basketball player to ever play at the point guard position.
Rodney Wood greatest of all time? At the 1? Not a chance buddy, I’m taking Curry, And Magic over him. Very underrated point guard who can tango with the best? Fuck yea
I remember the scene in "The Dream Team" documentary where he leaves the bus and was able to walk around Barcelona with his family without being recognized. I watched him play a lot and he was relentless and super smart.
Honestly this video deserves 10 million views. Never seen a video so thorough, yet to the point and so informative. Please, keep making content, for the good of TH-cam and the sports world!
He was a warrior. Interesting note though.. the jazz have openly said that Sloan pulled back the amount of minutes John played over his last ~5 seasons. The intention was to extend his career.
It seems that guards seem to lose a step a bit quicker than big men. Another reason why no one currently wants to take on Chris Paul’s contract at 34 y/o. The fact that John stayed as competitive and sturdy as he did for so long is remarkable.
Stockton was my favorite NBA player, bar none. I lived in Utah during most of the Stockton years and watched most every Jazz game and was amazed, game after game, watch Stockton dish 10+ assists, pop in 15-20 points and direct his team in the most humble, low-key way possible, and crush the competition, game after game and Stockton would quietly head to the locker room, shower, and go home to his kids. He's the quintessential pint guard.
I watched his entire NBA career. I am an Atlanta Hawks fan first but above all a fan of basketball. Stockton is simply the greatest point guard to ever play the game of basketball.
Great video. Stockton was a money player and very underrated. If he played today, the coach might force him to stop at the 3 point line and mess up good offense. And today’s big free agents wouldn’t stay in Utah for 19 years. We may never see another player like him.
Pure class and pure demon. The epitome of humility and great skill. As a lifelong Jazz fan, I cannot fathom how lucky we were to keep Stock his whole career. Something about him hints that he would have turned down a league MVP award saying, i dont want it, give it to Karl or during the SLC All-star game saying, no MVP for me, give it to Karl. Just a hunch. But the level of selfless play and quiet dominance is more than intriguing .... it's legendary. Thank Basketball John!
Growing up east coast, back when simple cable TV meant staying up late to see west coast teams on the TNT late game, this was one guy I didn't mind being tired the next day for an opportunity to watch. An all time great from the greatest era of the NBA.
John Stockton you are so amazing! Thanks for putting the spot light on John Stockton great basketball career. How dear they ignore such a great player.
Was just watching a show with Charles Oakley and Chris Busard talking about skill levels Jordan faced in the finals and he praised John's game and John himself. Love Oak, and coming from someone like him I think is high praise for Stockton.
John Stockton was THE greatest Point Guard of all-time. Period. Not only based on his (impressive) numbers, but to his sheer talent, efficiency, intelligence and winner's mentality. Simply a flawless player and deservedly a Hall of Fame inductee! Incomparable talent, really, superior even to likes of Nash, Rondo and Kevin Johnson, simply GOAT when it comes to PG position.
Pure point guards are overrated. Even Steve Nash regrets not being more aggressive during his prime. Why not shoot first? John had an amazing jumper on good splits. Him averaging 22 points with 9 assists would have been better for the jazz instead of the crazy 14 assists imo
@@er7776 facts. There’s a reason why the best point guards in the league are scoring guards like Curry, Kyrie, Dame, and Luka who are all score first guards.
No, a point guard has to play to his strength and weaknesses and run the offense and do what's best at the time as he reads the situations on the court. If you can't score that's just an ability you don't have so being able to pass helps with your weakness. If you can do both you are more valuable especially if you can assess the game and make the correct plays more often than not.
Between Stockton (assists + steals), Malone (scoring + rebounding), & Eaton (blocks + DPOYs); the late 80s Jazz pretty much had all five statistical categories covered. Unfortunately, the competition was just too great back then.
@@TheJeramyJay They were in their mid-20s and filling up the stats in '88 & '89 though. Their combination would be enough to become legit contenders nowadays, but not back then.
So you wanted to watch lopsided games and series? Take a break... It's basketball, not someone curing cancer or obliterating poverty or spearheading world peace.... It's people on a wooden floor, bouncing and throwing a ball for your entertainment. It was never supposed to be a replacement for your own life.....
Magic & Isiah never won another assists title after Stockton became a starter. That legendary 1984 draft provided a yearly race for the steals title between Stockton, MJ, & A. Robertson (all-time spg leader); plus Hakeem as the only center to record 200+ steals.
Hakeem is the only player to ever record 200+ blocks and 200+ STEALS in the same season and he went 13 straight seasons with at least 100 steals and 200 blocks. Olajuwon is the greatest defensive player of all time
@@95yazid Magic had a hall of fame starting lineup and Isaiah had dpoy Rodman and 4x all NBA defensive first team Joe Dumars along with the rest of the bad boy pistons, they didn't win championships by themselves. Trying to act like that makes them better pg's cuz they had better teams Smh
@@shiranuiaensland1442 Magic and Isiash combine for 7 championships and 5 assist leader season but in all of this only once did a championship happen in an assist leader season which was 87lakers championship, right after that Stockton starts getting all of the assist leaders and Isiah assists number dips down, but he wins 2 championships, so yeah basically too busy winning to get assist leader
He was a beast man! He never got the credit he deserved. It was a lot of fun to watch him play. Very rarely would he make a mistake. He was the best point guard of his era.
I've been saying for years John Stockton was the best point guard of all time. He is the G.O.A.T. I had the privilege in watching him, and he was just as dangerous on defense as offence. When he played he lead the league in assist and steals. Becoming the all time assist leader of all time of the NBA. Do you have any idea how hard that is. All the great players that played and he leads everybody, at about 5 11, 6 feet, is amazing and to compare him to Rajon Rondo who I like and respect is a absolute crime. HE shot over 50 percent his whole career. You couldn't leave him open. If he had to he could average 25 or more a game easily. Rondo can't shoot. Stockton had Malone, so he didn't have to take alot of shots. Besides that Iv'e seen 7 footers who couldn't set a pick like little Stockton. He was the hardest to cover because he ran around without the ball better than Stephen Curry, he was all over the place and didn't seem to get tired. Believe me I'm a 51 year old black man and John Stockton and Larry Legend Bird was the best technical basketball players i have ever seen. Especially at there position and with there physical limitations, totally amazing.
@@LKaramazov what was insane? Dont just leave some shitty comment, present a counter point or at least try to dismatle his case logically. You just really come off as an idiot when you say asine things like "clearly you're insane". Make a case why he is wrong unless you can't.
i remember when he overtook Magic in assists. i loved how Magic played, all the flash and razzle-dazzle, but quietly STockton took over the asssists record and the steals record. that was when i started watching more of his games, and since then i have been a Stockton fan.
He didn't have a farewell video or season but I still remember the standing ovation he got in Sacramento his final game and that was a class act on their part
Jordan used to call a young Chris Paul "Stockton." There is your comparison....not Rondo. In all elements of the game, Chris Paul in his prime was most like Stockton. Unfortunately, the similarity carried over to not winning a championship, but did not carry over to durability.
@@brucewilcox4135 Incorrect. Stockton stood his ground a few times. But he and Larry Miller (longtime owner of the Jazz) operated on a pretty personal level.
Such a GREAT player! So underrated... I watched his whole career with rapture. He always played with class. Rarely lost his cool. You could do a whole video of all the times that players got frustrated with his nearly unflappable demeanor on and off the court.
i'm old enough to have watched him even back in the 80's. He was EXTREMELY talented, but quiet, with seemingly no ego. I think he played an era of much flashier players and when some of the greatest legends of all time played and thats why he slipped under modern fans and pundits radar!
Chicago kid in his prime loving all of the amazing things the Jordan/Pippen Bulls did. Stockton is THE best point guard of all time based on job description
@@Pepperoni10125 respect your opinion. Isiah Thomas is another point guard that gets overlooked even after winning back to back titles with the Pistons and making allstar game his first 12 years in the league.
John Stockton was the best pure point guard to ever play the game of basketball. No one will EVER come close to his assist or steals record. He was a true pleasure to watch. You can’t mention John Stockton without mentioning Carl Malone. The two names are synonymous with the pick and roll and they ran it better than anyone else in the history of the league.
i remember watching that one on tv. i was touching my head in disbelief when he put up that shot because he was wide open and i knew it was money, no way in hell john is gonna miss that one.
John Stockton is the greatest point-guard of all-time because he never gave up. And he's the greatest player of all-time pound-for-pound. He was a David in a sea of Goliaths. And anyone who gets back up when they get knocked down is the greatest ever since getting back up is the greatest accomplishment.
I have always thought about him leading those two categories and how impressive it is. He was a winner in my book. Great video. I didn't know the win shares stat. That's good information there.
I discovered Stockton through a local sports mag, when there they dedicated an article to him (in the 90s), titled "The King of assists, the Emperor of steals". Didn't know until recently that he was this insanely good.
The late great Hot Rod Hundley! I was lucky enough to see John play many times growing up in Utah. The man doesn’t get enough credit. And if the truth be told? I don’t think he cares or wants the title of the greatest point guard ever. And without a doubt he is. Even today.
Yup arguably he is one of the greatest of all time. I'm from Chicago but I still think stockton along with his dream team 1 players were the very best at what they do. Best in assist and pick and rolls. There style is tough. The new style of rookies suck.
Awesome video man! I gave Stockton some live in my own video and honestly I wish I could have watched him play. He’s literally the perfect classic point guard. I doubt that anyone will ever pass his records. Looking forward to more vids!
I just watched that. It was great and a solid case. In short: not because Stockton was the best individual scorer, but because between his high-level passing AND scoring ability, he had too many weapons.
@@kryptanite3524 Favre won a ring though. Also Favre was such a gun-slinger, I feel like an NBA player who averaged more turnovers would be reminiscent of Favre. lol
@@jonnyarnett lol yeah he was a gunslinger I guess I was thinking more along the lines of grit n toughness being Favre was like supeman of the league n never missed games kinda reminiscent of Stockton but I'm glad Stockton is getting some recognition one of the greatest point guards ever...
I’d go a step further, not only is it criminal he isn’t talked about enough for best PG but he should be spoken about for best PLAYER ever. He was the perfect basketball player and was was so fundamentally sound along with his mental strength and professionalism. Guy is sooo underrated is absurd to be honest.
such a great video. the best thing though is that if john saw it it would take less than 30 seconds for him to smile and say, "wow, that's really nice, i appreciate it" right before he turned it off, shook your hand, and walked away. i really am gonna try to get him to watch it and record his reaction. the most humble guy ever, especially when you consider that he IS the greatest pure point guard the nba will ever see. really great work, man.
He was the best PG ever and one of the Top 50 players ever. Everyone who played with or against him talks about how good he was, how hard it was to defend him or be defended by him and how much they all respected him.
@@juliomendoza541 Definitely a closer comparison than Rondo. With the main difference between CP3 and Stockton being durability.... and length of shorts.
KingFishVersion Don’t get me wrong, Rondo’s best seasons aren’t nearly as good as an average Stockton season. The point was comparing their play styles. Pass-first players, scrappy on defense, incredible court vision, sound Basketball IQ, etc. At the end of each video in this series, I make a comparison, but like I said, it’s not about talent
John Stockton was without any doubt the greatest point guard to ever play basketball. PERIOD. Unbelievably talented...and a scrawny 6 foot 1...Basketball shaman, wizard, genius..And a humble, beautiful family man. Absolutely the best ever.
No one played the point guard position better than Stockton, and that includes Magic. If you want to call Magic the better player, fine, but better point Guard, no. At that position Stockton is the goat and it’s not close.
Magic is no where I repeat NO WHERE has good a point guard has Stockton. He might be likeable nice smile made lakeshow but that still don’t make him a better pg. magic had knee deep HoF player almost top to bottom has roster. Stockton never miss the playoff in his career now think about that with no superstar line up like magic or bird etc... Stockton is the Bess passer hands down no debate it’s not even close magic is not even a better passer then kid you can’t be the best passer with less assist on a start studded HoF team too to bottom 🤣🤣😂 your job is to pass since he couldn’t shoot for shit 🤦♂️🤣😂 so how can you not be #1 makes no sense. But wtv. Then not only you not the best passer but Stockton was top dog defense and is # 1 in steal and nit even close and night not be broken ever or for a while. So not only you dominate on offense but you put work and dominate on ball and passing lane on defense. Magic was NO WHERE near that good on defense 🤣😂🤦♂️🤦♂️. It’s easy to win chips with 5-6-7 HoF player on your team in prime or close ask bird ask mj ask magic ask golden states ask LBJ etc... it’s another thing when you have only 1 and manage to never miss playoff then back to back finals and lost against the best player in NBA ( please don’t debate that ) and dominate steal and assist while shooting efficiently every year over 50% from the field playing below the rim ( meaning not high flyer ). Yes he not flashy yes he not flamboyant he not 6’5-6’6 but god damn he better then any pg not even close or debatable. Jason kid is probably the closest since he played defense and offense. It’s a 2 way sports not 1 . We praise mj for winning scoring title and dpoy same year we praise his defense and offense. Kobe Duncan etc..That to me is a complete player both ends not a Harden or LBJ I turn defense mode when I want to or playoff bullshit mode. I go hard like it’s my last every fucking game both ends. Please tell me other then chips and playing with a stack HoF squad top to bottom in what way magic is better then Stockton ?? Rebounds ??? 🤣😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤔🤔
Sorry, Magic Johnson is the best point guard of all time. John Stockton is probably top 5. But John Stockton never won a championship. John Stockton is NOT a better point guard than Magic Johnson. He just wasn't.
@@95yazid You seem to enjoy ignoring full statements in this whole comments sections. Like this one says on stats merit. That means if you look exclusively at the numbers there's an argument. It also says has an argument, meaning it's not a clear cut decision, it's not even a superior decision but it's not one to be immediately dismissed. Try to actually take time to pay attention.
Point guard: sets up the team. Warms up the teammates. Organizes the defence and leads the pack in offence. John is the compass point guard. Reliable, smart and tough as a rock. We saw players like lonzo, whose jersey would ornate the rafters one day. Point guards of today score. They do not make their team better. They assist when there is no avenue to go. This man is a legend.
@gary corr Yeah, it's almost not fair to hold it against guys like Stockton, Malone, Barkley, Ewing. Their main shortcoming was that they weren't as good as MJ.
@@justinbeagley5151 Well Howards 3 was taken back when it should have counted, and I think it was Kukoc who made a 3 but it was a shot clock violation, but they counted it anyways.
Matthew Showalter nah magic and curry ahead of him Magic is arguably close to Him on passing on top of amazing scoring and 5 rings curry is just a downright insAne scorer and can singlehandedly with his spacing become the offense for a whole team, plus 3 rings so nah but I get your point
- definitely a solid opinion. Stockton is in my top 5 favorite players. But I'd still take Magic over Stockton. But Stockton v Nash? That's not even an afterthought. Stockton hands down over Nash.
As a lifelong Jazz fan who watched John and Karl play I have to say that Magic was the greatest player to play PG of that era while John was the greatest pure point guard. Maybe that's picking nits a bit. But Magic was Lebron before Lebron. A player who could defend or play pretty much any position with style and substance. Stockton wasn't that, but he was everything a coach could want in a floor general. Both players made their teammates better and could direct a game like the maestro of an orchestra. Magic won titles and John didn't partially because Magic (and Kareem obviously) could impose their will on a game in the biggest moments in whatever was needed of them. John...couldn't. Because he relied on his teammates to do most of the scoring. He could score efficiently himself when needed. But not in the way that was needed to pull a win out of a loss against the very best. And while I love Karl Malone he had an infuriating habit of disappearing in the biggest moments. Something John couldn't fully make up for. So I feel John was the better point guard, but Magic was the better player who played the point guard position. And was a bloody amazing point guard as well, in case that wasn't clear.
Finally someone giving Stockton the respect he deserves
He was on the dream team over idea Thomas. Every conversation I hear about best pg he gets mentioned
What are you talking about?? If he didn't have any respect, why was he on the 92 Dream Team?? Don't need no little TH-camr to justify this man's career.
@@originalgameronline3457 Stockton was originally picked behind Isaiah Thomas but because Jordan and Pippen refused to play with Thomas, Stockton got in.
Also, a lesser known fact is that John Stockton was the only person Jordan did not trash talk to.
@delontey lebrick James daddy west this is Reg e Cathey who played Martin Querns in OZ
@@tobycha5203 Yeah we already know that. That's why Magic didn't fight for his friend Isaiah. It almost tore their friendship up. Jordan didn't trash talk a lot of people. Not everyone was scared of Jordan. My point is, in the 90's, we already knew Stockton was great. The Dream Team was 1992, he wouldn't face Jordan in the finals for another 6 years. So just to be considered behind Thomas was amazing. Only maybe 30 people in the world could've played on that team, and he was one of them.
I'll never forget seeing him get 20 points, 28 assists, and 8 steals against my spurs, or 23 points, 24 assists and 5 steals against the lakers. He was one of those unique guys who could dominate a game in a variety of ways. There are players who are good at everything, but Stockton was GREAT at everything.
"Of the 6 highest total assist seasons in NBA history, John Stockton has 5 of them."
I watched this guy play his whole career and did not know that little tidbit. Awesome.
Prior to John there had been only a single 1000 assist season in NBA history. John had 1000+ in 5 consecutive seasons, had 987 the next to break the streak, and then had 2 more 1000 seasons just because. 7 out of 8 seasons.
Then you clearly weren't watching
@@angellostnet "Just because" i love it
That amazes me every single time I hear it.
Unrelated to how unquestionably great of a player he was. In the late ‘80s early ‘90s I was going through tough times as a kid, and one day I got a hold of a basketball Beckett that had all the NBA teams addresses. I wrote to EVERY star (at least 20) I could think of explaining my situation. I waited and waited and got nothing in the mail. Then one day I got a letter from Utah. It was from John Stockton! Inside was a hand written letter asking me how I was doing and telling me to keep my head up, along with an autographed picture to ME. It was the best thing ever to happen to young me and I’ve never forgotten about it. PS I did eventually get letters from Shaq’s fan club too, but nothing personal.
Great story, thanks for sharing
That is awesome, thanks for sharing.
Joe Allen 😻
That story made me tear up. I enjoyed seeing John play during my childhood as well. Watching him in the playoffs allowed me to escape harsh upbringings as a kid. I hope everything turned out great for you Joe. It certainly has for me. I’m grateful for it.
Joe Allen nice
This man averaged ~3 steals per game and ~14 assists per game for 4 seasons in a row... no wonder his records are untouchable. Absolutely insane numbers, and that FG% too...
Stockton's wife would pick him up after games in the family station wagon. That's how low key John was
minivan
Is this facts or nah
@@jayou1987 facts
@@jayou1987 Chris Webber talks about Stockton showing up to games in his minivan with his kids. I think the quote goes something like "He would show up to games in his minivan with his kids and bust us up."
LOL
How good was John Stockton.... good enough that this New Yorker flew to Salt Lake City for the game they retired his Jersey.
Assists mean SHIT as a metric. Stockton was a durable great shooter with great assits/turnovers ratio. Very good player, nowhere near all time great.
@@OjoRojo40 you're an idiot
@@OjoRojo40 He played in the time when you were allowed to touch the opposing team. It was actually hard to make points because there were 5 defenders instead of mannequins. The job of the pg back then was not to score, but to hand the ball in a silver plate to the center or the power forward. So the assist metric was extremely important.
@@Alientcp You don't understand shit. To begin with, assists are not even defined in the official nba rulebook (if you can find the definition please send me the link).
Number 2, an assist says NOTHING about the quality of the pass!! How many assists did stockton get passing the ball to malone in the low post for him to do all the work???? 5000?? 6000, 7000 assists maybe???
Do you understand now the issue with the metric and how bad it's to measure anything????
OjoRojo40 The pass may have been bad but it was still good enough to be turned into points every player does bad passes you can’t tell me Magic Johnson or Steve Nash didn’t throw bad passes and I get what your meaning as a metric but assists are still important I mean if there was no one to pass to Kareem do you think he will be the all time leader in points
I get what you're saying, but to compare Stockton to peak Rondo is an insult to Stockton. To be clear, I'm a big Rondo fan.
Thought exactly the same thing! and I'm a fan of Rondo's by the way
Agreed. Would you ever want the ball in Rondo's hands on the last possession to win a game?
I think most 90's Jazz fans wanted the ball in Stockton's hands, not Malone's, to hit a game-winner.
Exactly
mrmacross it’s not about clutch rondo hits GWs he’s just a piece of shit and not even close to a Stockton as a player or leader
Lol he said like rondo then listed other things he was better at on top of that
Gary Payton, a player known for his great defensive skills, said Stockton was the toughest player to defend.
and yet he never struggled to guard him in the playoffs... look at the numbers and the actual games. Gary Payton says a lot of things but this one makes no sense.
He said Rod Strickland was the toughest for him to defend
Mrwn B Well considering John Stockton has a winning record in the playoffs and regular season against Gary Payton, I'm not sure what you're telling us to look at
Amazing, seeing as to how he's a pass first kinda guy.
@@callystarr well Stockton averaged about 13 pts a game against Payton. Which was below his average. If that’s your offensive powerhouse I don’t know what games you’re watching...
How good was John Stockton??
Good enough that we're still talking about him in 2019.
A lot of nephews need to be reminded. He's been a forgotten as on of the GOATs. He was the best PG of the 90s and it's not even up for debate. Some records he has might not be broken in our lifetime.
CP3 = Stockton
@@norpriest521 cp3 is better lol
@@marcusmcneal7453 nowhere near the best.........at any point in his career. Highly overrated. Maybe top 10 pg in his career but thats about all
@@marcusmcneal7453 Bruh........Magic Zeke Gary Payton Jason Kidd Penny Hardaway Tim Hardaway Kevin Johnson Pistol Pete.........were all better than John stockton......all the assists to Karl Malone were not that impressive. He was a system player who ran the offense but he couldn't take over a game or stop any all star pg on defense..........just stop it bruh
Isaiah Thomas, magic Johnson, Gary Payton, are telling how great of a point guard John Stockton was his career stats are amazing an he played in a tougher league an he went against MJ back to back years Big respect to that Utah team in the 90s
"Stockton to Malone!" - probably the most-used phrase by commentators in the history of the game :)
"Stockton, tumalon!" :)
And the name of a car dealership in Utah. www.autoguide.com/dealers/stockton-to-malone-honda-14944.html
Possibly the most dominant 1-2 combo in NBA history.
Besides the good ol' "and the skyhook by jabbar"
There are car dealerships in Utah....Stockton to Malone Toyota...yeah it's a well known phrase haha
Also one half of the best NBA jam combo ever: Stockton and Malone
Demolition duet.
Big men were more valuable in NBA Jam, especially in TE. Stockton being much smaller was a disadvantage for that series. Charlotte /Chicago/ Houston were the power houses in that series.
@@cdmontano HE'S ON FIRE!
"Can't buy a bucket."
Dude- hell ya! I ran fools at the 7-11 my junior year of high school. Unstoppable with them. My 3 letter name was always at the top and was IRE (my shortened version of "Irie"...I am sure you can figure out why). One night I was there to buy some stuff and maybe play and two like 9 year olds were staring at the list of names and I was behind them waiting to see if they were gonna play or not. One of them said "I wonder who IRE is?" and looming over them I said "Thats me" and they looked at me in awe. I decided to walk out after that and leave them marveling at my greatness. I'm a mix of a jock and a nerd and still to this day I have pride in that moment and how much I owned with Stockton and Malone. Class of 1992. Peace out and big props to Stockton!!
One of my favourite players ever. I love low-key, humble guys: Stockton, Duncan, Kawhi Leonard... Thanks for the video.
Same. I would add Joe Dumars to that list.
duncan definetly. wasn't a flashy player but rock solid and could almost score at will (it was impossible to block his jump shot). I don't think duncan really had OFF NIGHTS (slumps) like many NBA superstars can have.
John and Tim definitely. Not sure about Kawhi
Every game used to be (mostly) played by men who were, at their core, gentlemen. Now,... if you dont have a wife AND side-bitch; some kind of supercar; earrings larger than fuckin' dice; a Twit-Twat account that blows-up with every breath-you-take; and massive, gaudy tattoos that are indecipherable, and carry guns into strip clubs and on airplanes, you're a damn 2nd tier pussy.
Clyde
John Stockton most underrated player in nba history
Nuradin Alas I was fortunate to have season tickets for the spurs from 85-2000. I saw Stockton play live at least 20 times. He is the best guard I ever saw on a game to game basis.
Nuradin Alas Karl Malone and Reggie Miller are up there too
@nuradin. possibly. I would also rank tim duncan right up there. either him or tim duncan.
oh, and add to that scottie pippen.
@@fruitiusmaximus925 Lookup responses from Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr, Charles Barkley when guarding Stockton. I'll trust their opinions over yours.
When you said the part about him being 4 league leading seasons ahead of second best in assists and steals my jaw dropped. This is where the numbers speak loudly. Amazing, had no idea.
I shared it in a comment above but shared another way, you could combine Jason Kidd's entire career with the years CP3 spent in NOLA and you wouldn't break Stockton's assist and steals records until partway through the final season in NOLA. In otherwords, combine a HOF player's career with a good chunk of another HOF player's career and you barely break Stockton's records. Insanity.
I still think he's highly underrated. Gary Payton with his legendary defense stated that Stockton was the hardest to guard
Gary still hates Jordan though.....actions speak louder than words
and johns actions were on a basketball iq level beyond payton OR Jordan, which is why Payton gave him credit
@@parkerxjr
@@neotrope There is only one team that won a championship with only 1 20 point per game scorer was the 1st Houston Rocket team. He never averaged 20 and could not take over a game . Ron Harper played the passing lanes and let him shoot. Let Steph Curry shoot lll
True. For a little white guy, he was quick as hell and could turn up the speed when needed. Watch him beat everyone down the court in some of those fast break highlights for reference. Plus knowing that he was just as good passing the ball as he was attacking the rim makes you want to slack off and pick up the man he's passing to, but that gives him just enough opening to go for his own shot.
Yup. Stockton would make the correct play. Give him a passing lane, boom. Close up the passing lane, swish or slash. Honestly the best point guard hands down.
15,806 assists and 3,265 steals for 1 NBA team... 2 records that may never be broken. The best true point guard ever, and the last NBA player wearing short shorts. A true legend of the game.
Never be broken. I agree. Especially the way the game is played today... sad really.
Being a “pure point guard” is overrated and there’s a reason why almost all of them hasn’t won a ring. Magic Johnson and maybe Isiah Thomas are exceptions. Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, John Stockton all have struggled winning playoff games unless they weren’t the best players on their own team (Stockton and Kidd).
I missed the short Shorts
@@subairali8075 Jason Kidd won a title with Dallas in 2011. Bob Cousy, Slater Martin, Oscar Robertson, Dennis Johnson, Jerry West (he played a lot of PG role too)... just to name a few more all won rings in their heyday. It's all bout being part of a winning team, does not matter who's the top dog of the team. Saying "almost all" true point guards never win rings is such an ignorant statement. The greatest NBA teams ever ALL had reliable guards (SG and PG alike).
@@mr.sinjin-smyth Jason Kidd was the 3rd option on a championship team outside of his prime.
Bob Cousy was the 2nd best player next to bill Russell
Oscar Robertson never won a ring as the best player and was kareems sidekick.
Jerry west wasn’t a “true point guard” he was a score-first player.
No true point guard has has any success as the best player on a championship teams besides 6’9” Magic, who’s an exception.
Wow. Those statistics they put up comparing his numbers to Nash were mind-blowing.
John legacy goes beyond just his NBA career, which by all standards "legendary". He bought the Utah Jazz's old hardwood floor and had it installed at his Washington college, Gonzaga (a building called the Warehouse, I stood on it this past weekend). John's loyalty is at a whole different level.
I love this guy. The way he moves the ball is pure art. he's very humble and doesn't bring himself under the spotlight very often, that's why nobody talks about this dude hahaha but for whoever watched ball back then, we all know he has a special place in our heart.
The GOAT, period. Jason Kidd blew people's minds when he said Stockton was the greatest.
Wilt said the same thing…
Pretty sure I saw an interview where Nash said the same thing also. He’s the best.
People (mostly youngsters in my experience) overlook him because he didn't score a lot of points. And a lot of people misinterpret his lack of scoring as "he couldn't score", which couldn't be farther from the truth. Stockton CHOSE to be a facilitator for his teammates because he believed it was the best chance for team success. The man shot over 50% from the field for his CAREER... as a 6'1 point guard, that's a ridiculous number. If he had a selfish bone in his body he could have easily averaged over 20 PPG AND still put up ridiculous assist totals. He's one of the best to ever put on sneakers. Top 20 all time
Jerry Sloan said John could score 30 points per game if he were more me-oriented, but that wouldn't have made the Jazz a better TEAM. Coach John Wooden said something akin to Stockton being the only player he would pay to watch night in and night out.
@Notorious1503 Stockton definitely should have scored more early in his career - Jerry Sloan, who was hardly a proponent of selfish basket ball, said so at the time. But I think he eventually got to the proper balance. He still could have scored a lot more, but his percentage would have suffered and the team probably wouldn't have scored as much.
Well said.
He reminds me only of steve Nash, both with a great outside shot, Rondo is nowhere near these two
@@robertoamarillas Nash 2 time MVP was much better. Rondo is garbage though
John Stockton is someone I call "The Quiet Assassin" . When looking at him dribbling the ball he looks like he's whistling while doing this. The song or verse from a song I think suits him is "I get knock down but I get up again, ain't nothing gonna keep me down". This describes how he played to me.
John Stockton is my favorite player of all time, nothing beats hard work and loyalty!
As a Pistons fan from back in the day I never did like Stockton and Malone but I will never disrespect their greatness.
The pick and roll was so efficient because John's efficiency at shooting the rock was outstanding, he was also like an automatic shooter, his mechanics were steady and amazingly consistent
His accuracy shooting wise is crazy underrated. Was so efficient.
Yea to think he coulda shot 3 pointers all day but went for the higher percentage play EVERY time... he coulda easily been a top 10 scorer too, but that wasn't his position the way he saw it. Best point guard EVER
It frustrated me that John didn't shoot more often.
@@KTPurdy took the words right outta my mouth. I always thought he could average twenty of only he decided to shoot
He was without any question the greatest point guard of all time.
Idk about no questions, but yes he is one of the greatest of all times
No, he wasn't. Both Magic and Oscar were better before him. Arguably Isiah, too. Steph has been better since.
If you said "pure point guard" you would have an argument, but he's not the greatest basketball player to ever play at the point guard position.
*_GREATEST POINT GUARD WITHOUT AIDS, FOR SURE._*
Rodney Wood greatest of all time? At the 1? Not a chance buddy, I’m taking Curry, And Magic over him. Very underrated point guard who can tango with the best? Fuck yea
Magic
I remember the scene in "The Dream Team" documentary where he leaves the bus and was able to walk around Barcelona with his family without being recognized. I watched him play a lot and he was relentless and super smart.
Honestly this video deserves 10 million views. Never seen a video so thorough, yet to the point and so informative. Please, keep making content, for the good of TH-cam and the sports world!
Thanks for the very encouraging comment, Jordan. I appreciate you
Wilt said if he had to start a team he would start it with John Stockton
I remember that. It was at halftime of an all-star game I believe
@@jonnyarnett I wana see Stockton to wilt
John with Wilt during Wilt period, ho my !!
@@sotheaphin6119 wilt on the 98 Jazz.
Wilt had also a good understanding of the game and IQ. Great you mention this :) Cheers!
John was overlooked because he played in the greatest era of talent in the history of the NBA.
He also wasn't playing in a BIG CITY like LA ETC !!!!
Yeah the All Time Dream Team was all there
Yes true the Best of the Best, truly a dream team.
And he is white
The greatest era of talent is actually now
💯. The Assist Steals Record will never be Broken. Just look at how many 82 games this man played during his career. No load management needed
Eugene 12 oh yea no one will ever touch those
He was a warrior. Interesting note though.. the jazz have openly said that Sloan pulled back the amount of minutes John played over his last ~5 seasons. The intention was to extend his career.
He did play less minutes towards the end but he was still getting about 27-33 minutes a game and playing all 82 games.
It seems that guards seem to lose a step a bit quicker than big men. Another reason why no one currently wants to take on Chris Paul’s contract at 34 y/o. The fact that John stayed as competitive and sturdy as he did for so long is remarkable.
The steals record too. No one is ever going to touch those two records.
Stockton was my favorite NBA player, bar none. I lived in Utah during most of the Stockton years and watched most every Jazz game and was amazed, game after game, watch Stockton dish 10+ assists, pop in 15-20 points and direct his team in the most humble, low-key way possible, and crush the competition, game after game and Stockton would quietly head to the locker room, shower, and go home to his kids. He's the quintessential pint guard.
I watched his entire NBA career. I am an Atlanta Hawks fan first but above all a fan of basketball. Stockton is simply the greatest point guard to ever play the game of basketball.
Let's not forget that he rarely missed a game, and this was back when the NBA was way more physical. John is Iron Man.
utah wanderlust700 it was stated in the vid. Crazy!!
He only had more win shares than magic cause magic got HIV and had to retire. Stockton is great though- no shade.
Still missing the times when load management is not in nba vocabulary.
You had to see Stockton live at a game to appreciate his quickness. I saw him once in college. I remember thinking that this guy was super quick.
I'm the 1000th like here. Stockton is my favourite player ever. I will agree that he deserves a lot more credit.
Great video. Stockton was a money player and very underrated.
If he played today, the coach might force him to stop at the 3 point line and mess up good offense. And today’s big free agents wouldn’t stay in Utah for 19 years. We may never see another player like him.
Pure class and pure demon. The epitome of humility and great skill. As a lifelong Jazz fan, I cannot fathom how lucky we were to keep Stock his whole career. Something about him hints that he would have turned down a league MVP award saying, i dont want it, give it to Karl or during the SLC All-star game saying, no MVP for me, give it to Karl. Just a hunch. But the level of selfless play and quiet dominance is more than intriguing .... it's legendary. Thank Basketball John!
Growing up east coast, back when simple cable TV meant staying up late to see west coast teams on the TNT late game, this was one guy I didn't mind being tired the next day for an opportunity to watch. An all time great from the greatest era of the NBA.
John Stockton you are so amazing! Thanks for putting the spot light on John Stockton great basketball career. How dear they ignore such a great player.
Was just watching a show with Charles Oakley and Chris Busard talking about skill levels Jordan faced in the finals and he praised John's game and John himself. Love Oak, and coming from someone like him I think is high praise for Stockton.
If there was ever a quote that epitomized John Stockton, it's *"Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise!"*
John Stockton was THE greatest Point Guard of all-time. Period. Not only based on his (impressive) numbers, but to his sheer talent, efficiency, intelligence and winner's mentality. Simply a flawless player and deservedly a Hall of Fame inductee! Incomparable talent, really, superior even to likes of Nash, Rondo and Kevin Johnson, simply GOAT when it comes to PG position.
John Stockton is the greatest point guard of all-time. a PURE point guard, he is what every point should be....pass first shoot later.
Pure point guards are overrated. Even Steve Nash regrets not being more aggressive during his prime. Why not shoot first? John had an amazing jumper on good splits. Him averaging 22 points with 9 assists would have been better for the jazz instead of the crazy 14 assists imo
@@er7776 facts. There’s a reason why the best point guards in the league are scoring guards like Curry, Kyrie, Dame, and Luka who are all score first guards.
No, a point guard has to play to his strength and weaknesses and run the offense and do what's best at the time as he reads the situations on the court. If you can't score that's just an ability you don't have so being able to pass helps with your weakness. If you can do both you are more valuable especially if you can assess the game and make the correct plays more often than not.
Between Stockton (assists + steals), Malone (scoring + rebounding), & Eaton (blocks + DPOYs); the late 80s Jazz pretty much had all five statistical categories covered. Unfortunately, the competition was just too great back then.
By the time Stockton and Malone got primes Eaton was injured and on the decline. Which is a bummer.
@@TheJeramyJay
They were in their mid-20s and filling up the stats in '88 & '89 though. Their combination would be enough to become legit contenders nowadays, but not back then.
Malone was a known choker, they would never win a ring with him.
@@leperddion7614
They could've if it weren't for MJ.
So you wanted to watch lopsided games and series? Take a break... It's basketball, not someone curing cancer or obliterating poverty or spearheading world peace.... It's people on a wooden floor, bouncing and throwing a ball for your entertainment. It was never supposed to be a replacement for your own life.....
Stockton was the best all around PG and “Floor General” that I’ve ever seen.
Laker fan during the 80’s and 90’s. Man Stockton and Malone gave us fits especially at their place
Magic & Isiah never won another assists title after Stockton became a starter. That legendary 1984 draft provided a yearly race for the steals title between Stockton, MJ, & A. Robertson (all-time spg leader); plus Hakeem as the only center to record 200+ steals.
Hakeem is the only player to ever record 200+ blocks and 200+ STEALS in the same season and he went 13 straight seasons with at least 100 steals and 200 blocks. Olajuwon is the greatest defensive player of all time
Magic and Isiah were too busy winning championships to care about being assist leader
@@95yazid But Magic and Isiah WERE assist leaders.
@@95yazid Magic had a hall of fame starting lineup and Isaiah had dpoy Rodman and 4x all NBA defensive first team Joe Dumars along with the rest of the bad boy pistons, they didn't win championships by themselves. Trying to act like that makes them better pg's cuz they had better teams Smh
@@shiranuiaensland1442 Magic and Isiash combine for 7 championships and 5 assist leader season but in all of this only once did a championship happen in an assist leader season which was 87lakers championship, right after that Stockton starts getting all of the assist leaders and Isiah assists number dips down, but he wins 2 championships, so yeah basically too busy winning to get assist leader
He was a beast man! He never got the credit he deserved. It was a lot of fun to watch him play. Very rarely would he make a mistake. He was the best point guard of his era.
Happy birthday John Stockton. Thank you. ~A Utah fan
He is underrated because he played in utah like karl malone if he play in la people would talk about them like their gods
Stockton was amazing! The pick and roll with Malone was literally unstoppable.
My favorite point guard of all time!
I've been saying for years John Stockton was the best point guard of all time. He is the G.O.A.T. I had the privilege in watching him, and he was just as dangerous on defense as offence. When he played he lead the league in assist and steals. Becoming the all time assist leader of all time of the NBA. Do you have any idea how hard that is. All the great players that played and he leads everybody, at about 5 11, 6 feet, is amazing and to compare him to Rajon Rondo who I like and respect is a absolute crime. HE shot over 50 percent his whole career. You couldn't leave him open. If he had to he could average 25 or more a game easily. Rondo can't shoot. Stockton had Malone, so he didn't have to take alot of shots. Besides that Iv'e seen 7 footers who couldn't set a pick like little Stockton. He was the hardest to cover because he ran around without the ball better than Stephen Curry, he was all over the place and didn't seem to get tired. Believe me I'm a 51 year old black man and John Stockton and Larry Legend Bird was the best technical basketball players i have ever seen. Especially at there position and with there physical limitations, totally amazing.
You’re clearly insane.
@@LKaramazov what was insane? Dont just leave some shitty comment, present a counter point or at least try to dismatle his case logically. You just really come off as an idiot when you say asine things like "clearly you're insane". Make a case why he is wrong unless you can't.
Pure facts! 100% true!
MJ IS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME !! !!!
i remember when he overtook Magic in assists. i loved how Magic played, all the flash and razzle-dazzle, but quietly STockton took over the asssists record and the steals record. that was when i started watching more of his games, and since then i have been a Stockton fan.
He was my favorite player to watch. The NBA will likely never see a player like him again.
Same for me.
Stockton has two records that are never coming down.
Yes, and they are the 2 records that most exemplify what a point guard should be
Stockton has Gretzky type leads in those categories, same way nobody will ever catch Gretzky in assists or points
The world will simply end before those records are beaten. No argument.
Bradley Nugent Pleaae don’t put Stockton and Gretzky in the same sentence.
@@ErinGnarkill if Lemiux never got hurt or got sick gretzky would be #2
Hey bro this is good stuff man. Thank you for showing some love to an undisputed Legend ✊🏿
John Stockton and Karl Malone were 2 of my all-time favorite athletes as a kid.
I loved both. But bloody hell could Karl disappear when he was needed at the worst times.
He didn't have a farewell video or season but I still remember the standing ovation he got in Sacramento his final game and that was a class act on their part
john stockton is one of my favorite players of all time
I've said it a hundred times: #1 pg of all time. Most underrated player of all time. Period.
John Stockton is definitely the #1 PG of all time. Great video!
Jordan picks Stockton as his starting pointguard to build a team
He actually picked Magic.
rocketswire.usatoday.com/2019/10/22/michael-jordan-picks-rockets-olajuwon-for-his-all-time-team/
Jordan used to call a young Chris Paul "Stockton." There is your comparison....not Rondo. In all elements of the game, Chris Paul in his prime was most like Stockton. Unfortunately, the similarity carried over to not winning a championship, but did not carry over to durability.
@@nickadams701 stockton was more durable while cp3 was a better scorer.
Wilt did
wilt chamberlin said he wd pick stockton first if he had to build a team
And didn’t have a agent. Represented himself when dealing with the Jazz.
Not exactly; he never negotiated, just accepted whatever they thought he was worth.
@@brucewilcox4135 Incorrect. Stockton stood his ground a few times. But he and Larry Miller (longtime owner of the Jazz) operated on a pretty personal level.
He had the same agent as mj towards the end of his career
Such a GREAT player! So underrated... I watched his whole career with rapture. He always played with class. Rarely lost his cool. You could do a whole video of all the times that players got frustrated with his nearly unflappable demeanor on and off the court.
Stockton will always be my favorite player of all time. If you want to learn how to play GOOD basketball fundamentals, he's the guy to study.
i'm old enough to have watched him even back in the 80's. He was EXTREMELY talented, but quiet, with seemingly no ego. I think he played an era of much flashier players and when some of the greatest legends of all time played and thats why he slipped under modern fans and pundits radar!
Chicago kid in his prime loving all of the amazing things the Jordan/Pippen Bulls did.
Stockton is THE best point guard of all time based on job description
Best point guard of the 90's in my opinion
Best point gaurd of all time imo
@@Pepperoni10125 respect your opinion. Isiah Thomas is another point guard that gets overlooked even after winning back to back titles with the Pistons and making allstar game his first 12 years in the league.
@@Pepperoni10125 lol. How is that possible when he never won anything
@@straightlead8 you just don't know basketball that's all
@@armandodelossantos736 lol I see what you did there haha shoutout to nbastoryteller
Stockton 's last second bucket to beat Barkley's Rockets is still my favorite moment in basketball
Salt Water Heat Air that was fantastic
John Stockton was the best pure point guard to ever play the game of basketball. No one will EVER come close to his assist or steals record. He was a true pleasure to watch. You can’t mention John Stockton without mentioning Carl Malone. The two names are synonymous with the pick and roll and they ran it better than anyone else in the history of the league.
@@kentbartschi8091 *Karl
i remember watching that one on tv. i was touching my head in disbelief when he put up that shot because he was wide open and i knew it was money, no way in hell john is gonna miss that one.
And in Utah he was covered by the best play by play announcer in NBA history, Hot Rod Hundley. It was a wonderful time to live in Utah.
John Stockton is the greatest point-guard of all-time because he never gave up. And he's the greatest player of all-time pound-for-pound. He was a David in a sea of Goliaths. And anyone who gets back up when they get knocked down is the greatest ever since getting back up is the greatest accomplishment.
I have always thought about him leading those two categories and how impressive it is. He was a winner in my book. Great video. I didn't know the win shares stat. That's good information there.
I discovered Stockton through a local sports mag, when there they dedicated an article to him (in the 90s), titled "The King of assists, the Emperor of steals". Didn't know until recently that he was this insanely good.
"John Stockton sends the Utah Jazz to the NBA finals!"
One of my favorite highlights and moments in sports.
I still get Goose Bumps watching that highlight
The late great Hot Rod Hundley! I was lucky enough to see John play many times growing up in Utah. The man doesn’t get enough credit. And if the truth be told? I don’t think he cares or wants the title of the greatest point guard ever. And without a doubt he is. Even today.
Yup arguably he is one of the greatest of all time. I'm from Chicago but I still think stockton along with his dream team 1 players were the very best at what they do. Best in assist and pick and rolls. There style is tough. The new style of rookies suck.
Gives me CHILLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSS!!!!
didn't know he could jump that high, too ^_^
Awesome video man! I gave Stockton some live in my own video and honestly I wish I could have watched him play. He’s literally the perfect classic point guard. I doubt that anyone will ever pass his records. Looking forward to more vids!
Remember that Gary Payton during an interview said that Stockton was one of the toughest player to guard
Tougher than MJ he said
@@natas0733 Not just 'one of'. He said John was the most difficult player to guard. And then proceeded to explain his reasoning.
I just watched that. It was great and a solid case. In short: not because Stockton was the best individual scorer, but because between his high-level passing AND scoring ability, he had too many weapons.
A player that passes is harder to guard than a player that scores.
Payton said he never figured him out.
"Quiet and reserved". Yes, and a thorough going professional in everything he did.
John Stockton is basically the Dan Marino of the nba
Thats a solid comparison
Brett Favre
@@kryptanite3524 Favre won a ring though. Also Favre was such a gun-slinger, I feel like an NBA player who averaged more turnovers would be reminiscent of Favre. lol
@@jonnyarnett lol yeah he was a gunslinger I guess I was thinking more along the lines of grit n toughness being Favre was like supeman of the league n never missed games kinda reminiscent of Stockton but I'm glad Stockton is getting some recognition one of the greatest point guards ever...
@@jonnyarnett o yeah n it's to bad the jazz always had to square up against the bulls...
I’d go a step further, not only is it criminal he isn’t talked about enough for best PG but he should be spoken about for best PLAYER ever.
He was the perfect basketball player and was was so fundamentally sound along with his mental strength and professionalism.
Guy is sooo underrated is absurd to be honest.
one of the Most iconic phrase uttered by commentators in the 90's:
Stockton to Malone!!!!
I remember him, today's kid will never know how good he was.
such a great video. the best thing though is that if john saw it it would take less than 30 seconds for him to smile and say, "wow, that's really nice, i appreciate it" right before he turned it off, shook your hand, and walked away. i really am gonna try to get him to watch it and record his reaction. the most humble guy ever, especially when you consider that he IS the greatest pure point guard the nba will ever see. really great work, man.
He was the best PG ever and one of the Top 50 players ever. Everyone who played with or against him talks about how good he was, how hard it was to defend him or be defended by him and how much they all respected him.
Stockton has been my goat pg since the late 90’s but you lost me with the rondo comparison 🤷🏾♂️
i would say CP3
@@juliomendoza541 Definitely a closer comparison than Rondo. With the main difference between CP3 and Stockton being durability.... and length of shorts.
KingFishVersion Don’t get me wrong, Rondo’s best seasons aren’t nearly as good as an average Stockton season. The point was comparing their play styles. Pass-first players, scrappy on defense, incredible court vision, sound Basketball IQ, etc. At the end of each video in this series, I make a comparison, but like I said, it’s not about talent
@@jonnyarnett Rondo's got a ring though
Also comparing Stockton to Rondo is already pretty dumb, but you guys went all the way to CP3 LMAO
Johnny had the speed and precision, he was a hell of a ball player
Everyone in Utah over 30 years old knows all of this.
*should* know all of this
I highly think it's anyone over 30 years old knows this lol
your wrong on that comment. i'm 24 and there are still people that actually care abut the history that know John Stockton that are younger then me.
@@stevenmarzo7751 I didn't say nobody under thirty knows about it. Re-read my comment and I'm sure you'll see.
True that😂I’m younger than that and knew all this
John Stockton was without any doubt the greatest point guard to ever play basketball. PERIOD. Unbelievably talented...and a scrawny 6 foot 1...Basketball shaman, wizard, genius..And a humble, beautiful family man. Absolutely the best ever.
No that belongs to Magic....sorry. You must be from Utah...
Pilot obviously you didn’t watch the video
@@jakebraby7018 why did you thumbs up your own comment? And yes....I watched the video.
Bro stop it..hes not better than magic or isiah..u must be from Utah 🤣🤣
pilot88pro hes better than magic. All around its probably not even close and thats not even considering the all star lineup that magic played with.
Great video. #1 @ PG all time. Dominates the pount guard stats. Those stats will NEVER be broken. Not the way the game is played today.
No one played the point guard position better than Stockton, and that includes Magic. If you want to call Magic the better player, fine, but better point Guard, no. At that position Stockton is the goat and it’s not close.
It's kinda close
Mike, time to watch basketball and shut up
Magic is no where I repeat NO WHERE has good a point guard has Stockton. He might be likeable nice smile made lakeshow but that still don’t make him a better pg. magic had knee deep HoF player almost top to bottom has roster. Stockton never miss the playoff in his career now think about that with no superstar line up like magic or bird etc... Stockton is the Bess passer hands down no debate it’s not even close magic is not even a better passer then kid you can’t be the best passer with less assist on a start studded HoF team too to bottom 🤣🤣😂 your job is to pass since he couldn’t shoot for shit 🤦♂️🤣😂 so how can you not be #1 makes no sense. But wtv. Then not only you not the best passer but Stockton was top dog defense and is # 1 in steal and nit even close and night not be broken ever or for a while. So not only you dominate on offense but you put work and dominate on ball and passing lane on defense. Magic was NO WHERE near that good on defense 🤣😂🤦♂️🤦♂️. It’s easy to win chips with 5-6-7 HoF player on your team in prime or close ask bird ask mj ask magic ask golden states ask LBJ etc... it’s another thing when you have only 1 and manage to never miss playoff then back to back finals and lost against the best player in NBA ( please don’t debate that ) and dominate steal and assist while shooting efficiently every year over 50% from the field playing below the rim ( meaning not high flyer ). Yes he not flashy yes he not flamboyant he not 6’5-6’6 but god damn he better then any pg not even close or debatable. Jason kid is probably the closest since he played defense and offense. It’s a 2 way sports not 1 . We praise mj for winning scoring title and dpoy same year we praise his defense and offense. Kobe Duncan etc..That to me is a complete player both ends not a Harden or LBJ I turn defense mode when I want to or playoff bullshit mode. I go hard like it’s my last every fucking game both ends. Please tell me other then chips and playing with a stack HoF squad top to bottom in what way magic is better then Stockton ?? Rebounds ??? 🤣😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤔🤔
The one Above all i think u mad bro....mad right!
Sorry, Magic Johnson is the best point guard of all time. John Stockton is probably top 5. But John Stockton never won a championship. John Stockton is NOT a better point guard than Magic Johnson. He just wasn't.
I’ll say it... John Stockton is the best pure point guard ever!
That's the distinction. "Pure"
@@fruitiusmaximus925 how would you get that many steals?
@@fruitiusmaximus925 hahahaha, I get it, you're soft.
@@fruitiusmaximus925 "Stockton was soft", You are fake news.
AMEN !
Thanks for sharing! Love seeing the videos that point out the people that are amazing but seem to be over looked.
On a pure game stats merit, Stockton has a clear GOAT argument!
The ONLY player leading (and DOMINANTLY at that) two major statistical categories.
Go see a psychiatrist dude you have some severe brain damage to think Stockton is nowhere near to having a GOAT argument
@@95yazid You seem to enjoy ignoring full statements in this whole comments sections. Like this one says on stats merit. That means if you look exclusively at the numbers there's an argument. It also says has an argument, meaning it's not a clear cut decision, it's not even a superior decision but it's not one to be immediately dismissed. Try to actually take time to pay attention.
Point guard: sets up the team. Warms up the teammates. Organizes the defence and leads the pack in offence. John is the compass point guard. Reliable, smart and tough as a rock. We saw players like lonzo, whose jersey would ornate the rafters one day. Point guards of today score. They do not make their team better. They assist when there is no avenue to go. This man is a legend.
Los que sabemos de basquetbol y lo vimos jugar no vamos a olvidar a esta leyenda, un saludo desde Argentina.
If it wasnt for MJ, John Stockton would have two NBA titles to his name! This idea that the NBA was was watered down when Jordan played is silly!
More like, if it wasn't for malone choking, he'd have 2 titles. Making disappeared when we needed him most, that's why the jazz don't have a trophy
If it wasnt for karl Malone always choking , hed have something , go back and check those games.
@@justinbeagley5151 If the Bulls didn't have Rodman the Jazz would have won one or both series. The worm was a great defensive player.
@gary corr Yeah, it's almost not fair to hold it against guys like Stockton, Malone, Barkley, Ewing. Their main shortcoming was that they weren't as good as MJ.
@@justinbeagley5151 Well Howards 3 was taken back when it should have counted, and I think it was Kukoc who made a 3 but it was a shot clock violation, but they counted it anyways.
THE best point guard without a doubt in my mind is John Stockton.
Matthew Showalter nah magic and curry ahead of him Magic is arguably close to
Him on passing on top of amazing scoring and 5 rings curry is just a downright insAne scorer and can singlehandedly with his spacing become the offense for a whole team, plus 3 rings so nah but I get your point
Blision But curry is a defensive liability, he may get more points but he also let’s more in, so it doesn’t really mean much
- definitely a solid opinion. Stockton is in my top 5 favorite players. But I'd still take Magic over Stockton. But Stockton v Nash? That's not even an afterthought. Stockton hands down over Nash.
As a lifelong Jazz fan who watched John and Karl play I have to say that Magic was the greatest player to play PG of that era while John was the greatest pure point guard. Maybe that's picking nits a bit.
But Magic was Lebron before Lebron. A player who could defend or play pretty much any position with style and substance. Stockton wasn't that, but he was everything a coach could want in a floor general. Both players made their teammates better and could direct a game like the maestro of an orchestra.
Magic won titles and John didn't partially because Magic (and Kareem obviously) could impose their will on a game in the biggest moments in whatever was needed of them. John...couldn't. Because he relied on his teammates to do most of the scoring. He could score efficiently himself when needed. But not in the way that was needed to pull a win out of a loss against the very best. And while I love Karl Malone he had an infuriating habit of disappearing in the biggest moments. Something John couldn't fully make up for.
So I feel John was the better point guard, but Magic was the better player who played the point guard position. And was a bloody amazing point guard as well, in case that wasn't clear.
He is fifth all time pg