Utah Jazz: David Stockton to drop dimes in Deutschland
By Ryan Aston
David Stockton, who manned the point for the Utah Jazz late last season, is set to ball out in Northern Bavaria next season.
Make no mistake about it — David Stockton is basketball royalty. When the son of Hall of Fame point-man John Stockton made his debut with the Utah Jazz during the homestretch of the 2017-18 NBA season, it felt a little like a prince returning to his former kingdom to take up the old king’s scepter.
Now, the prince is moving across the pond to conquer a new kingdom.
The younger Stockton is officially signing with medi bayreuth of the Basketball Bundesliga for the 2018-19 campaign. The team announced the move on Wednesday.
In other words, D-Stock will be dropping dimes in Deutschland next season.
Founded as BBC Bayreuth in 1999, medi bayreuth finished BBL league play with a 22-10 record and advanced to the postseason. In the process, they qualified for entry into and FIBA’s Basketball Champions League. The club went 8-6 in BCL play and made it all the way to the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Stockton appeared in three regular season games for the Jazz last season, averaging 3.3 points per contest. He also made two appearances for the team during postseason play. More recently, he was part of the latest 12-man squad to represent USA Basketball in FIBA World Cup qualification.
Had the Jazz retained the 27-year-old beyond January 10 of next year, his $1.5 million salary for ’18-19 would have become guaranteed. However, after inking Tyler Cavanaugh to a two-way contract this week, the Jazz essentially have a full roster.
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So, Stockton is following in the footsteps of his older brother — Michael Stockton — who has played in Germany on and off since 2011.
Ultimately, this is a strong move for Stockton in his continuing basketball journey. His diminutive stature makes him a tough sell as an NBA player and, given the team’s make-up, he was never expected to make the Jazz’s ’18-19 opening night roster.
In the BBL, he’ll continue to make good money playing the game he loves and his unique talent will shine through.