Given his status as perhaps the greatest pure point guard ever to grace the court, it’s hard to fathom that even John Stockton himself was surprised when the Jazz drafted him No. 16 overall out of Gonzaga back in ’84.
Equally insane is the fact that it was a pretty unpopular decision at the time, as evidenced by the video above. Clearly, when commissioner David Stern called Stockton’s name on draft night, fans in Jazzland were less than impressed. Now, it’s virtually unthinkable that he fell to the middle of the first round.
In what’s largely considered the greatest draft class in league history, he should’ve been up in the top four with the likes of Jordan, Hakeem the Dream, and Charles Barkley.
Despite the lukewarm reception, Stockton went from being an unknown to Green’s back-up to one of the best players of his or any other generation. Over 19 seasons, he averaged 13 points, over 10 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He also made over 50 percent of his shots as a perimeter player and boasts a career 3-point percentage of 38.4.
To try to list all of his accomplishments here would be folly, but here are some 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
- Two-time Olympic gold medalist
- All-time leader in assists (15,806) and steals (3,265)
That last line looms largest; it represents the two most unbreakable records in professional sports.
Next: No. 1