http://mywebpages.comcast.net/floydian/pics/stockton_424.jpg


Now I know that many of you out there arn't huge basketball fans, or at least not big fans of NBA basketball. I however, am a huge fan of NBA basketball, and one of it's players in particular. John Stockton was, and always will be my favorite player to ever play the game. Not only did he have an ubelievable 19 season career with the same team!, he also presented himself as a very strong and honorable man (a quality that most of todays player lack).
I remember watching him play when I was 13 and never thought I would see the day when historys greatest point guard would retire. I will miss you Stockton!
Here's to 19 awsome years!

John Stockton -- 19 Seasons of Excellence



1984-85 Drafted by Utah in the first round
1985-86 In his second season with Utah started 38 of 82 games and averaged 7.7 points per game.
1986-87 Re-signed by Utah, August 25, improving on his rookie year with 610 assists and 7.7 ppg.
1987-88 Named to the All-NBA Second Team for first of six seasons (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96)
1988-89 Appeared in the NBA All-Star game for the first time and scored 11 points in 32 minutes.
1989-90 Set NBA record for highest single-season assists per game average, averaging 14.5 apg in 78 games.
1990-91 Dished out a career high 1164 assists in one season and recorded a career high 28 assists against San Antonio on 1/15/91.
1991-92 Led the league in steals with 2.44 spg
1992-93 Won Olympic Gold as a member of the 1992 Dream Team. Earned co-MVP honors with Karl Malone at the 1993 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1993-94 Named to the All-NBA First Team for the first of two seasons (1993-94 and 1994-95).
1994-95 Passed Magic Johnson (9,921 assists) to become the NBA's All-Time leader in assists and ended 2000-01 with 14,503 assists.
1995-96 Passed Maurice Cheeks (2,310 steals) to become the NBA's All-Time leader in steals and ended 2000-01 with 2,976 steals.
1996-97 Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Played in a career high 609 games, eighth-best streak in the NBA. (Missed the first 18 games of the next season due to left knee surgery.)
1997-98 Led the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals for the first time ever.
1998-99 Became the 65th player in NBA history to record 16,000 points on 12/4/99 vs. Golden State.
1999-2000 Became the first player in NBA history to record 13,500 assists.
2000-01 Passed John Havlicek (1,270 games) to become the NBA's all-time leader in games played with one franchise and ended 2000-01 with 1,340 games played.
2001-02 Re-signed with the Utah Jazz on September 27, 2001 and became the first player ever to play 18 consecutive seasons for the same franchise.
2002-03 Became the seventh player in NBA History to play at the age of 41.

Never was really a big fan of him, not that I disliked him, just was never a Utah fan. The guy played the game the way it was made to be played, though. The consumate team player, as they say. Puts you to mind of Barry Sanders and how he would always just hand the ball to the ref and jog off the field after he just made 11 guys on defense trip over themselves 3 different ways on his trip to a 70 yard touchdown. Got to love a guy that knows he is good and doesn't have to beat his chest to let you know about it.

Edited due to lack of consideration.

Sleezeball? Give me a break! How many Jazz games have you ever watched? I always thought an illegal screen was a moving one, or using you hands or arms to block opponent trying to get through. I have seen Stockton fight through thousands of "illegal" screens in his career. There is a difference between playing dirty, and playing smart! Just because some people have a problem with the way Stockton sets screens does not make him a dirty player. If it did then all of the big men in the league would be playing dirty. I mean Shaq sits under the net for 10 seconds, changes his pivot foot 4 times, and then does a flying elbow on the defender before he dunks on them.

John Stockton is one of those players that never had supreme physical skill, but he will go down in history as one of the greatest NBA players ever. It would have been nice to see him and Malone get a championship, but I think 2 NBA records (Steals and Assists) is a damn good mark to leave.

yeah well shaq is wack

Edited due to lack of consideration.

OK, if you didn't base your opinion of him on the link you posted about him setting illegal screens, what do you think he does that makes him a dirty player? You keep saying he is the dirtiest player of all time but why do you think that?

Utah? the mormons have a professional team?

didnt know that....

Edited due to lack of consideration.

Haha you crack my shit up bullet. Trying to act like your time is too precious to waste. Thats fine, I would actually prefer you were done with me. I am sick of reading replies that make blanket statements about a player and then end with "so calm down, and take a breath child".
I would assume that most people do not like the Jazz, or think they aren't any good because Utah is synonimous the Mormon religion. This makes no sense to me considering their record. I think people just like to make fun of Mormons even though there are more mormons on the Dallas Mavericks than on the Jazz.
Personally I don't remember the Rockets ever having a big rivalry with the Jazz, or at least not in the last 6 years. I was more worried about Sacramento, L.A., and Chicago (damn that Michael Jordan).
When was the last time Houston made it to the playoffs? What about the Finals?

Call him dirty, call him smart but you would have to be a clueless idiot with peanuts for brains not to respect him.

He has more class and more honor than a huge percentage of the menchildren playing the game today.

He had a clue, he had massive court skills and he had guts to play 19 years for the NBA on the same Team...

Hmmm didn't Barkley play a lil for Houston??

Kindly take yer childish bias elsewhere, ya'll have had yer share of so called "dirty" players...

/salute Stockton...

Fandros

I am not sure where you are getting all the dirt on Stockton from. I didn't watch many Jazz games unless they were getting schooled by the Bulls in the finals, but the only Utah player I recall being dirty was Malone, not Stockton. Malone seemed to execute a flurry of blows with his elbows everytime he had the ball, but that is a 6'9" 260lb black man that is not too easily confused with a 6'1" 170lb white guy.

Edited due to lack of consideration.

I was kind of hoping that when you said "Anyway I am done with you BYE BYE" you meant the thread in general.
If you look at your origional post it appears that you are making an attack on the mans character. When you say he was the dirtiest player of all time it makes it sound like the only reason he was any good was because he played dirty.

If you consider playing dirty and getting away with murder on the court to be attributes associated with being one of the greatest b-ball players in the NBA, then I guess his was a great player (according to this definition).

Whats that all about? Have a little respect for the man! I posted this because I am sad to see him go, as i am sure many many other people are. No reason to jump in here and say "Boo f'in hoo". Thats just sad. I understand that him being a dirty player is your opinion. Every post you put up here you made sure we knew that you were stating your opinion. Opinions are not factual and they are impossible to refute. What is your logic for comming here and posting negative opinions on a thread made to honor this mans career? :rolleyes

Blech, I could go on and on, but I am not going to.... at least not untill you post again, which I know you will ;)

Yokai 1 check your PM please.