John Stockton
John Stockton ranks among the top point guards in NBA history, the league's all-time leader in both assists and steals.
A gritty, durable player who sees the floor as well as anyone who ever played the game, he holds many assists records, including the mark for career assists at 15,806. Stockton's other records include most assists in a season (1,164), highest assists average for a season (14.5 apg), a tie for most assists in a playoff game (24), most consecutive seasons leading the league and total seasons leading the league (9), and a tie for third for most assists in a game (28).
In addition, in 1995-96 he became the league's all-time leader in steals, passing Maurice Cheeks' mark of 2,310. He ended his 19 year career with 3,265 steals.
Stockton is an annual All-Star and All-NBA selection and has made the NBA All-Defensive Team three times. Heteam ed with Karl Malone to form one of the most productive and enduring duos in league history. After missing a total of four games in his first 13 pro seasons, Stockton missed the first 18 games of the 1997-98 campaign following preseason knee surgery, but has played in every game since that time.
Like Malone, Stockton was a member of the original Dream Team that won a gold medal at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. And like Malone, he also competed on the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.
2002-03:
Played in every game for the 17th time in his 19-year career and has now played in 442 consecutive games, the second longest streak in the NBA behind former teammate Shandon Anderson (499) of the New York Knicks... Played in his 1500th career game at Golden State on April 8, 2003 and has now played in 1504 of a possible 1526 during his career (.986%)... Ranks third on the NBA's all-time list in games played, trailing Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560)...Finished the season as the team's fourth leading scorer (10.9 ppg), scoring in double figures in 46 of the 82 games... Had five games of 20+ points, including a season-high 25 vs. New Jersey on January 20, 2003...Scored the 19,000 point of career at the Los Angeles Clippers on November 26, 2002, becoming just the second player in Jazz history to top that plateau... Began the season 38th on the NBA's all-time scoring list, but pasted Chet Walker, Dale Ellis, Reggis Theus, Gail Goodrich, Eddie A. Johnson, Dolph Schayes, Terry Cummings, Walter Davis and Bernard King during the season to finish in the 28th spot (19,711 points )...Connected on .483 percent shooting from the field, fourth best on the team, but 18th in the league and was the team's top free throw shooter, hitting .826 percent from the line...Continued to add to his NBA all-time records in both assists and steals, finishing the season 5th in the league in assists (7.7 apg), his 16th straight season finishing in the NBA's top ten... Served up 22 games of double-figure assists, including a season-high 13 @Minnesota on January 4, 2003...Averaged 1.69 steals per game, good for 11th in the league, with a season-high vs. Denver on February 22, 2003 and finished the season with 3,265 career steals... Finished his 19th consecutive season with Utah in 2002-2003, setting a league record for most seasons with the same franchise (1984 ... present) and became the 7th oldest player in NBA history (41) when he reached that milestone on March 26, 2003.
2001-02:
Finished his 18th season with Utah in 2001-2002, setting a league record for most seasons with the same franchise (1984-present)...Became just the 10th player in NBA history to play at the age of 40 when he reached that milestone on 3/26...Played in all 82 games, marking the 16th time in his 18 seasons, playing in every game..Has now played and started in 360 consecutive games, the third longest streak in the league and has played in 1422 of a possible 1444 games during his career (.985)...Played in his 1,400th career game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on 3/26 and is currently 3rd on the NBA's all-time list in games played (1,422)...Finished the season averaging 13.4 points per game, his highest scoring average since the 1996-97 season (14.4 ppg), including the 18,000th career point of his career vs. Minnesota on 12/12...Scored a season-high 26 points at Golden State on 4/13 and netted 24 points at Dallas on 1/19 and for the year scored 20+ points twelve times...Finished the season fifth in the league in field goal percentage, connecting on .517 percent of his attempts, marking the 12th time in his career he has shot over 50-percent from the field...Finished fifth in the league in assists (8.2 apg), marking the 15th consecutive season he has finished in the league's top ten...Served up the 15,000th assist of his career at Houston on March 10, 2002 and is currently 5,036 assists ahead of second place Magic Johnson (10,141)...Handed out a season-high 17 assists at Washington on 11/16 and for the season had 25 games of double-figure assists...Recorded the 3,000 steal of his career vs. Indiana on 12/2 and finished the year 10th in the league, averaging 1.85 steals per game...Continued to add to his all-time NBA record with 3,128 steals, including a season-high six at Indiana on 2/12...Played the 45,000th minute of his career vs. Washington on 3/21 and passed Moses Malone for 7th on the NBA's all-time list in minutes played with 45,071 at Seattle on 3/25...Recorded the 800th three-pointer of his career vs. Dallas on 12/10...Registered the 5,000th free throw attempt against Miami on 12/12...Named as one of the West Coast Conference's 50 greatest athletes in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the conference that began in 1952-53.
2000-01:
Continued his remarkable career, playing and starting all 82 games...Marked the 15th season of his 17-year career that he has played in all 82 games...Has played and started in 278 consecutive games...Averaged 11.4 ppg, served up 8.7 apg (second in the league), recorded 1.6 spg (13th), while shooting .504 from the field (seventh) and .462 from three-point range (second) in only 29.2 mpg...Tied John Havlicek's all-time NBA record for games played with one franchise (1,270) vs. New Jersy on 11/24/00 and became the all-time leader against Detroit on 11/26...Played in his 1,300th career game on 1/27/01 vs. San Antonio and has now seen action in 1,340 contests, third all time behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) and Robert Parish (1,611)...Scored a season-high 22 at Atlanta on 3/5/01 and topped the 20+ point mark six times...Recorded his 17,000th point against Golden State on 12/9/00 and finished the season with 17,725 career points...Attempted 12,000th field goal of his career vs. Portland on 2/22/01 and the 5,000th free throw attempt vs. the Blazers on 12/28/00...Handed out a season-high 16 assists vs. Indiana on 12/22/00 and posted 31 games of 10+ assists on the year...Served up the 14,000th assist of his career vs. Milwawkee on 12/13/00 and finished the season with 14,503...Tied his all-time career-high with nine rebounds at Denver on 1/29/01 and played a season-high 39 minutes vs. Houston on 1/15/01...Continued to add to his NBA all-time record in steals (2,976), totaling 132 for the season, including a season-high five on two occasions (12/7/00 vs. Vancover and 3/30/01 vs. Cleveland)...Moved into ninth place on the all-time list in minutes played and has now recorded 42,923 for his career...NBA Co-Player of the Week with Karl Malone the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 5, scoring 15.3 points, connecting on 19-29 field attempts (.655) and served up 12.3 apg while leading the team to a 3-0 mark...Honored at halftime of the 2001 All-Star Game in Washington as a former All-Star game MVP (co-MVP with Karl Malone in 1993 in Salt Lake City).
1999-2000:
Ranked sixth in the NBA in assists (8.6 apg), 10th in steals (1.74), second in assists per turnover at 3.93, 14th in field-goal percentage (.501) and free-throw percentage (.860), and 20th in steals per turnover (0.80) in only 29.7 mpg...Led all guards in field-goal percentage....Topped .800 from the free-throw line for the 13th time in his career....Played in every game for the 14th time in 16 seasons....Became the first player in NBA history to record 13,500 assists when he passed to Jeff Hornacek for a jump shot at 9:08 of the first quarter against Sacramento on 2/17/00....Named to the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, where he scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting in only 11 minutes....Notched 23 points and 7 assists in a 99-90 loss to Houston on 4/9/00....Dished 18 assists in a 113-95 win over Cleveland on 3/7/00....Logged 22 points and 10 assists in a 119-108 win over Sacramento on 2/17/00....Posted 18 points and dished out 15 assists in a 105-101 OT win over the L.A. Lakers on 1/24/00....Totaled 22 points and 13 assists in a 104-101 win in Sacramento on 1/22/00....Logged 23 points and 12 assists in a 91-88 loss to Minnesota on 1/19/00....Tallied 12 points and 18 assists in a 109-89 win over Denver on 1/3/00....Posted 12 points and 15 assists in a 108-93 victory over Minnesota on 11/22/99....Registered 18 points and 12 assists in a 111-100 victory in Milwaukee on 11/20/99....Tallied 19 points (11-11 FT) and 8 rebounds in an 89-84 loss in Minnesota on 11/19/99.
1998-99:
Named to the 1998-99 All-NBA Third Team after leading the Jazz in field-goal percentage (.488, 13th in the NBA), assists (7.5 apg, 8th) and steals (1.62 spg)....Recorded 10-or-more assists in 13 games and logged 9 double-doubles....Notched his 2,700th career steal, registering 11 points and game-highs of nine assists and three steals, in a 91-78 win over the Houston Rockets on 4/30....Dished his 13,000th career assist, posting 9 points, a game-high 7 assists and 3 rebounds, in a 109-93 win over the L.A. Lakers on 4/17....Totaled 19 points (5-7 FG, 8-9 FT), game-high 9 assists and 3 rebounds in a 103-89 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 4/15....Recorded 14 points, a game-high 11 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals against the Sacramento Kings on 3/30....Registered 10 points, a game-high 15 assists and 3 rebounds in a 120-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 2/15....Grabbed his 3,000th career rebound, posting 26 points, a game-high 11 assists and 4 rebounds, in a 100-91 win over the L.A. Lakers on 2/7
1997-98:
Sidelined for the first 18 games due to knee surgery, but played every other game, finishing fifth in the league with 8.5 apg and helping the Jazz back to the NBA Finals....Totaled 22 points, a game-high 14 assists, three rebounds and three steals in a 124-119 double-overtime win over the New York Knicks on 3/22....Recorded 22 points (7-11 FG), 8 assists and 5 rebounds in a 102-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 3/16....Scored his 15,000th career point, posting 16 points, a game-high 11 assists and 3 rebounds, in a 110-101 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 3/18....Scored 17 points and notched a game-high 14 assists in a 106-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on 3/1....Registered 17 points, a season-high 18 assists, 5 steals and 3 rebounds in a 101-93 win over the Chicago Bulls on 2/4....Totaled 22 points and a game-high 10 assists against the L.A. Clippers on 2/3....Recorded 17 points, 10 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in a 104-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 1/30....Posted 18 points, a team-high 11 assists and 3 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on 1/23....Registered 21 points (7-9 FG, 6-6 FT) and game-highs of 10 assists and 3 steals in a 107-93 win over the Orlando Magic on 1/17....Totaled 22 points (7-9 FG, 3-4 3FG, 5-6 FT) and a game-high 12 assists in a 106-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on 1/12....Recorded 16 points (5-7 FG, 6-6 FT), a game-high 14 assists and 6 rebounds in a 98-95 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers on 1/6....Posted 17 points (6-9 FG, 4-5 FT), a game-high 12 assists and 4 rebounds in a 97-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on 1/3....Scored a team-high 24 points and added 3 assists in a 107-103 victory over the Houston Rockets on 12/25....Registered 10 points and 7 assists in 20 minutes, in his first game of the season, in a 106-97 win over the Indiana Pacers on 12/8....On the injured list from 10/30 to 12/8, missing the first 18 games of the season, while recovering from off-season left knee arthroscopic surgery
1996-97:
Stockton averaged 14.4 points, 10.5 assists and 2.02 steals for the Jazz, who posted a franchise-best 64-18 record and won the Western Conference crown for the first time ever. He finished second in the NBA in assists behind Mark Jackson, ending his record streak of nine consecutive seasons leading the league, and ranked eighth in the NBA in steals. He increased his record career totals to 12,170 assists and 2,531 steals and was voted to the All-NBA Third Team and the All-Defensive Second Team. For the 12th time in his 13 seasons he played in all 82 games--he missed four games in the 1989-90 season. His streak of 609 consecutive games played is the third-longest active streak in the league, and the longest for games started. He shot .548 from the field, seventh in the NBA (one notch behind teammate Karl Malone) and tops among backcourtmen. He sank 76 three-pointers to rank second on the team and shot a team-high .422 from behind the arc that would have ranked eighth in the NBA if he had made enough treys to qualify for the leader list. Stockton posted a season-high 18 assists in a 104-96 victory over Vancouver on Nov. 15, one of 53 games in which he handed out 10 or more. Utah's third-leading scorer, he tallied 20+ points 11 times, incuding a season-high 31 points in a 117-102 win at New Jersey on March 12. He recorded a season-high six steals on three occasions. Stockton was voted to the West's starting lineup for the All-Star Game and had 12 points and five assists in 20 minutes. In Utah's 20 playoff games, Stockton averaged 16.9 points, 9.6 assists and 1.65 steals per game, ranking second on the team in scoring and leading the club in assists and steals. He had 26 points and 12 assists in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets and scored 25 points, including the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, in a Game 6 against the Rockets to close out the series. He had 17 points and 12 assists in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against Chicago and came back with 17 points, including a crucial late three-pointer, in Game 4.
1995-96:
Stockton led the NBA in assists for a record ninth consecutive year, averaging 11.2 apg and raising his record career total to 11,310. He finished 13th in the league in steals at 1.71 per game and on Feb. 20 passed Maurice Cheeks to become the NBA's all-time leader, finishing the season with 2,365. For the second year in a row Stockton averaged 14.7 ppg to place third on the team in scoring. His field goal percentage of .538 ranked 10th in the NBA and tops among guards for the third year in a row, while his three-point percentage of .422 ranked 15th in the league. Stockton scored 20 points or more 15 times, with a season-high 31 against the Clippers on Feb. 2. He reached double figures in assists 58 times, posting a season-high 17 on three occasions. He had 44 double-doubles. Stockton played and started all 82 games for the sixth year in a row. His streak of 527 consecutive games started is the longest active streak in the NBA and the fourth-longest of all time. He has appeared in 980 of a possible 984 games in his 12-year career. In the playoffs, Stockton averaged 11.1 points and an NBA-high 10.8 assists per game, with highs of 21 points in Game 5 against Portland and 23 assists in Game 1 of that series, just one shy of the playoff record he shares with Magic Johnson.
1994-95:
Stockton became the NBA s all-time assists leader in 1994-95, surpassing Magic Johnson s 9,921 dishes on February 1 and topping the 10,000 mark for his career by season s end. Stockton also moved within 85 steals of Maurice Cheeks s all-time record in that category. Those were only the highlights of another excellent season for Stockton with the Utah Jazz. He led the league in assists with 12.3 per contest, his eighth straight season atop the assists chart and eighth overall, tying Bob Cousy for the most seasons leading the league and the most consecutive seasons leading the league. With a scoring average of 14.7 points per game, Stockton also had an outstanding year shooting the basketball. His .542 field-goal percentage was the second highest of his career, 11th in the league, and tops among NBA guards. In the first year of the shortened three-point arc, he nailed treys at a .449 clip to finish fifth in the league in that category. Stockton played all 82 games for the 10th time in his 11 NBA seasons. From a team perspective, Stockton experienced success. The Jazz won a franchise-high 60 games and went 14-1 in January. In December and January the team captured 15 road wins in a row, the second-highest such streak in NBA history. For the season, Utah registered a .512 team field-goal percentage, best in the NBA. Despite the 60 wins, the Jazz finished second in the Midwest Division and were matched against the NBA defending-champion Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz had championship hopes entering the postseason but were eliminated by the Rockets in five games.
1993-94:
Stockton joined some lofty company in 1993-94 when he handed out a game-high 12 assists for the Utah Jazz against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 16. The 12 assists made him only the third player in NBA history to record 9,000 career assists and put him behind only Magic Johnson (9,921) and Oscar Robertson (9,887) on the NBA s all-time list. In that same game against the Clippers, Stockton also moved into second place on the NBA s all-time steals list. By season s end he had 9,383 assists and 2,031 steals. He is on pace to become the NBA s all-time assists leader in 1994-95 and to pass Maurice Cheeks (2,310) as the all-time steals leader in 1995-96. For 1993-94, Stockton led the NBA in assists (12.6 apg) for a seventh consecutive season, becoming the first player since Bob Cousy to accomplish that feat. (Cousy topped the league for eight straight years from 1952-53 through 1959-60.) He also extended his streak of consecutive games started to 362, tops among all active players. In fact, during his 10-year, 820-game career Stockton had only missed 4 contests. In addition to his league-leading assists average, Stockton also contributed 15.1 points and 2.43 steals per game while shooting .528 from the floor. He ranked fourth in the NBA in steals and led all guards in field-goal percentage. He played in his sixth consecutive NBA All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. Stockton s continued excellence helped Utah all the way to the Western Conference Finals, which the Jazz lost to the Houston Rockets in five games.
1992-93:
Stockton fell just short of recording 1,000 assists for the sixth consecutive season, but his 987 total and 12.0 average were still good enough to lead the league again. He was Utah s No. 3 scorer (15.1 ppg), shooting .486 from the field and .798 from the free-throw line. On March 23 against the Indiana Pacers he became the third player in NBA history to reach the 1,800 career steals mark, and on February 23 against the Houston Rockets he became the fourth player to surpass 8,000 career assists. Reaching double figures in assists in 68 of 82 games, Stockton dished for a season-high 22 assists against the 76ers in Philadelphia on December 18. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the fifth time in six years and won the inaugural Court Vision Award. The Utah Jazz played host to the NBA s best when the All-Star Game came to Salt Lake City in 1993. Appropriately, Stockton and Jazz teammate Karl Malone were named the game s co-MVPs. Malone had 28 points and 10 rebounds while Stockton contributed 9 points and 15 assists in the West s 135-132 overtime victory. Stockton led the way in the overtime period, scoring a pair of baskets and setting up two more as the West outscored the East, 16-13, in the extra frame.
1991-92:
Stockton notched his fifth consecutive assists title this season, recording 1,126 assists for a 13.7 average. On the final day of the season he edged past the Minnesota Timberwolves Micheal Williams for the NBA lead in steals (2.98 per game). Stockton, who averaged 15.8 points for the year, moved into fourth place on the NBA s all-time assists list and into sixth on the all-time steals list. He made his fourth straight All-Star appearance and was named to the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. After a slow start, Utah went 26-10 over the season s final three months. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever after beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Semifinals. However, Stockton & Co. fell just short of the championship series after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Stockton s 16-game playoff averages were quite impressive: 14.8 points, 13.6 assists, and 2.13 steals. Stockton barely had time to catch his breath before going on to join the Dream Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Along with teammate Karl Malone and the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, Stockton helped the United States romp to the gold medal.
1990-91:
Karl Malone banged in 29.0 points per game on .527 field-goal shooting and Jeff Malone averaged 18.6 points on .508 shooting from the field, but Stockton was the player responsible for feeding the Malones the ball. He rang up another 1,000-assist season. For his efforts he was selected by Western Conference coaches to the NBA All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. Stockton's season total of 1,164 assists in 82 games still stands as a single-season NBA record. He also tied a career high with 17.2 points per game and ranked second in the NBA with 2.85 steals per contest. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team at season s end as Magic Johnson and Kevin Johnson were selected to the first and second teams, respectively. Stockton took care of Kevin Johnson and the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but the Jazz didn t have enough firepower to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Stockton had a tremendous postseason, averaging 18.2 points and 13.8 assists.
1989-90:
In 10 seasons in the NBA (through 1993-94) Stockton has missed only four games and this was the season he missed all four. On November 21 his consecutive-game streak was broken at 418 when he missed 2 games after going down with a sprained ankle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stockton nevertheless broke his own single-season assists record, compiling 1,134 for the season and averaging an NBA-record 14.5 per game. By reaching 1,000 total assists for the third straight season Stockton became the first man ever to notch at least 1,000 assists more than two times. (He wouldn t stop there, cementing his place in history by reaching four digits in assists in each of the next two seasons.) For the third straight season Stockton shot better than 50 percent (.514) from the field and racked up at least 200 (207) steals. He averaged a career-high 17.2 points and was selected by the fans to start at guard in the NBA All-Star Game. At season's end he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. The Jazz finished a game out of first place in the Midwest Division standings, partly because of a dismal April that saw the club go 5-7. Utah continued to slump in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, falling to the Phoenix Suns in five games. Stockton shot only .420 from the field in the postseason, averaging 15.0 points and 15.0 assists.
1988-89:
Stockton was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game when coaches added him to the Western Conference squad. After an 11-point, 17-assist performance, he finished second to Karl Malone in the game s Most Valuable Player voting. Postseason honors rolled in for Stockton, who led the NBA in steals (3.21 per game) and assists (13.6 apg) while finishing 10th in field-goal percentage (.538). He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and the All-NBA Second Team. He also averaged 17.1 points, ranking him third on the Jazz behind Malone (29.1 ppg) and Thurl Bailey (19.5). Stockton scored 30-plus points twice during the season against the Mavericks in Dallas on January 31 and versus the Denver Nuggets on April 12. The Jazz posted at least a .500 record in each month of the regular season and finished with an overall mark of 51-31, good enough for the Midwest Division crown. The Jazz were heavy favorites against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but despite a super performance by Stockton, Utah was eliminated in three straight games. Stockton averaged 27.3 points and 13.7 assists in the series.
1987-88:
Stockton finally won Utah s starting point guard duties from Rickey Green, and he responded in record fashion. The reliable Karl Malone averaged 27.7 points and shot .520 from the floor, taking many of Stockton s dishes and depositing them in the basket. The Jazz shot a respectable .491 as a club, one reason why the the once-obscure Gonzaga product compiled a dazzling total of 1,128 assists, breaking the NBA record of 1,123 set by Detroit s Isiah Thomas in the 1984-85 season. Stockton averaged an astonishing 13.8 assists for the season (a mark he would eclipse twice over the next three years). Although his passing skills were what put him on the NBA map, Stockton developed into a complete player, ranking third in the NBA in steals (2.95 per game) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.574). He also averaged 14.7 points, nearly doubling his output of the previous season. His numbers earned him selection to the All-NBA Second Team along with his teammate, Karl Malone. The Jazz finished with a then franchise-best 47-35 record. They decked the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-game first-round series, then locked horns with the defending NBA-champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. In a 111-109 Game 5 loss on May 17, Stockton dished out 24 assists, tying Magic Johnson s playoff record. In 11 postseason games Stockton averaged 19.5 points and 14.8 assists.
1986-87:
Stockton opened the season as the starter, although the job wasn t his just yet. That was because he had to platoon with Rickey Green, and this tandem intimidated every club in the league. Stockton averaged 7.9 points and 8.2 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, while Green averaged 9.6 points and 6.7 assists in 25.8 minutes. The two combined for 287 steals, with Stockton s 177 (2.16 per game) ranking eighth in the NBA. Stockton led the team in scoring only once all season with 16 points against the Trail Blazers in Portland on November 16 but he averaged only 5.6 field-goal attempts. Prior to the season the Jazz had acquired Kelly Tripucka and Kent Benson in exchange for Adrian Dantley, the club s scoring leader in each of the previous seven seasons. Karl Malone assumed more of the scoring responsibilities, averaging 21.7 points. But not even the Mailman could deliver a series victory in the NBA Playoffs. After Utah took two straight games from Golden State in a first-round series, the Warriors answered with three consecutive wins to end the Jazz s season. Stockton shot a sizzling .621 from the field in the five games, averaging 10.0 points and 8.0 assists.
1985-86:
Stockton had to wait his turn this season behind incumbent point guard Rickey Green, but he took advantage of increased playing time (23.6 minutes per game compared to 18.2 the previous year) and averaged 7.7 points and 7.4 assists to Green s 11.7 points and 5.1 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. This was Karl Malone s first season in Utah, and his 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game brought him NBA All-Rookie Team honors. The Jazz won one more game than they had the previous season, but they were beaten by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. For the second consecutive season Stockton averaged 6.8 points in the postseason, to go along with his 3.5 assists per game.
1984-85:
There were more than a few doubters when the Utah Jazz went for this little-known guard from a little-known school with the 16th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Of course, the Utah Jazz front office had the last laugh when this diamond in the rough set club rookie records for steals (109) and assists (415) while earning votes toward the NBA All-Rookie Team. He was second in assists and third in steals among NBA rookies. Playing in all 82 games as a backup to starting point guard Rickey Green, Stockton averaged 5.6 points in 18.2 minutes per game. Utah finished in a fourth-place tie in the Midwest Division, then upset the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Subsequently, the Jazz were overwhelmed by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. Stockton averaged 6.8 points and 4.3 assists in 10 playoff games.
COLLEGE:
Played four seasons at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, averaging 12.5 ppg, 5.2 apg and 2.2 rpg in 107 games...Finished career as school's all-time leader in assists (554) and sixth-leading scorer (1,340 points)....As a senior, averaged 20.9 ppg and 7.2 apg, while shooting .577 from the field in 28 games....Named UPI All-West Coast First Team and West Coast Athletic Conference First Team for his efforts....Also Academic All-America Second Team selection in his final year.
PERSONAL
Full name is John Houston Stockton
He and his wife Nada have two daughters, Lindsay and Laura, and four sons, Houston, Michael, David and Samuel
They own homes in Salt Lake City and his hometown of Spokane, Washington
His father co-owns a Spokane bar which televises every Jazz game via satellite