There's no question that Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton is one of the best point guards the NBA has ever seen. A fun exercise is comparing him to some of the other point guards put in the same discussion as him. Former Jazz player Kyle Collinsworth had a bold take the other day on where Stockton compares to Chris Paul. In short, he believes Stockton has a better legacy.
Not only did Collinsworth, who played for the Jazz during the 2019-20 season, make his opinion clear on this matter, but he also had a label for anyone who disagreed.
If you have Chris Paul over John Stockton in your top PGs of all time list you are crazy!!
— Kyle Collinsworth (@collinsworth55) July 14, 2025
The funny thing about this comparison is that Paul and Stockton are similar in the sense that they played in the NBA for two decades, and, for the most part, typically played for playoff teams, though Stockton played for more than Paul did, but that might be more of a result of Paul being part of a different NBA than the one Stockton played in.
That's not the only way in which the two are similar. Earlier this season, Tyrese Haliburton reached a certain mark sared by only Paul and Stockton, indicating how good both were at taking care of the ball, a necessary skill for all-time point guards.
The closest Stockton came to MVP was 1989 (his fifth year) when he finished seventh in MVP voting. The closest Paul came to MVP was 2008 (his third year) when he finished second in MVP voting. Stockton finished top seven only once, while Paul finished in the top seven nine times. Stockton had the privilege of playing next to Karl Malone for most of his career, which may have affected his candidacy.
Paul played with a fair amount of all-time players, but never played with a player as good as Malone at his peak for more than two years (James Harden won MVP in Paul's first season in Houston). Stockton and Malone took the Jazz to five Western Conference Finals appearances to go with two NBA Finals appearances. Paul made two Western Conference Finals appearances to go with one NBA Finals appearance.
This will likely be debated even more by fans when Paul hangs it up. There are plenty of what-ifs that definitely impacted how Paul's career turned out. There's also a Utah one worth mentioning.
Would Paul's legacy have been different if he played in Utah?
The Jazz had the chance to draft Paul in 2005 when they traded up to get the No. 3 pick to draft Deron Williams. Williams went on to become one of the best Jazz players in franchise history, while Paul went on to become one of the best point guards the NBA has ever seen.
Any Jazz fan who was around at the time will bring up that once upon a time, "CP3 or D-Will?" was a legitimate debate for years. However, Paul stayed excellent while leaving his first team, New Orleans, while Williams never quite recaptured the same magic after leaving Utah.
So one can only wonder how different Paul's career and Utah's franchise history would be had they picked him over Williams. It's tough to say anything definitive, though the Jazz built a pretty good core around Williams that Paul only saw once in New Orleans, and when he did, he came within inches of upsetting the Spurs during their reign of terror.
If Paul had that in Utah like Williams did, maybe he'd be remembered differently. While Williams eventually soured on Utah, Paul also soured on New Orleans, as they were byproducts of a changing NBA where star players began to take control of their destinies.
Regardless, Paul's talent and legacy should be appreciated for what he's done over the years much like Stockton was, regardless of who fans think is better.