The J-Notes
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Ranking the Top 10 NBA Draft wins in Utah Jazz history

By Ryan Aston

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Rodney Hood (Duke) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twenty-three overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Rodney Hood (Duke) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twenty-three overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Utah Jazz John Stockton
Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton talks with the media as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchiseÕs first Western Conference Championship prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

2) That Short Guy From Gonzaga (1984)

Given his status as arguably the greatest pure point guard ever to hit the hardwood, it’s pretty hard to believe that even John Stockton himself was surprised when the Jazz picked him out of Gonzaga in the middle of the first round back in 1984.

At the time, though, it was a pretty unpopular decision. When NBA commissioner David Stern announced Stockton’s name on draft night, fans in Salt Lake City were less than impressed —

Nowadays, it’s unthinkable that he fell to No. 16. In what is heralded as the greatest draft class in NBA history, he should’ve been up in the Top 4 with the likes of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley. In short order, he went from being Rickey Green’s back-up to one of the best players of his or any other generation.

To try to list all of his accomplishments here would be folly, but here’s a few of the fruits of Stockton’s two decades spent in a Jazz uniform —

  • 10-time NBA All-Star and ’93 ASG MVP
  • 11-time All-NBA selection
  • Five-time All-Defensive team selection
  • Nine-time league-leader in assists
  • All-time leader in assists and steals

Next: No. 1