Credit: Steve Lipofsky
Credit: Ace Starry
Credit: United States Forest Service
As had happened so many times previously, Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone received a crisp bounce pass from Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton and hit an 18-foot jump shot from the corner during the second quarter of a 129-98 N.B.A. regular season Utah Jazz blowout win over the Denver Nuggets on February 1, 1995. Although the play appeared nothing out of the ordinary for these two perennial All-Stars, it was in fact a record-setting moment. The assist that the two-time Olympic gold medalist (Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996) Stockton made on the play gave him 9,222 assists for his N.B.A. career; moving him past Earvin “Magic” Johnson and into the history books as the N.B.A.’s all-time leader in assists.
-
Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low Top Pro QS Men’s Sports Shoes – Sizes 36-40
$107.99 Select options -
Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low Top Syracuse Men’s/Women’s Skateboarding Sports Sneakers Sizes 36-45
$88.99 Select options -
Sale!
Luminous Flat Shoelaces
$0.52 – $0.66 Select options -
Nike Air Jordan 4 Retro Men’s/Women’s Basketball Shoes
$102.99 Select options
What made the feat more commendable was that Stockton accomplished it during his 860th N.B.A. game. By contrast, “Magic” Johnson needed 874 N.B.A. games to shatter the previous N.B.A. all-time assists record. After the historic play was completed, the sellout crowd of 19,911 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah stood in unison and gave Stockton a well-deserved round-of-applause. I had always admired Stockton’s guile and tenacity on the court, despite of his lack of athletic prowess. It seemed like Stockton and the target of the majority of his assists, former N.B.A. Hall-of Fame Jazz power forward Karl Malone, use to fit hand-in-glove on the court. The tandem were seemingly in tune with each other on the court and on the same page, regardless of the magnitude of the game.
Results
-
#1. In which N.B.A. season was John Stockton selected as N.B.A. All-Star Co-M.V.P. alongside Utah Jazz teammate power forward Karl Malone?
Stockton had a knack of knowing when to give the right pass with exquisite timing and accuracy. Although Stockton received much praise for his passing skills, he is also the N.B.A.’s all-time career leader for steals with 3,265 steals. During his lengthy career, he was often under-shadowed by the Los Angeles Lakers more charismatic and celebrated point guard, “Magic” Johnson. Playing in a relatively smaller television market such as Salt Lake City, Utah also contributed to preventing Stockton from receiving the same level of media exposure as other superstar N.B.A. players (in bigger media markets). Donning tight, short basketball shorts, it seemed like Stockton was a player transplanted from the early-to-mid 1970’s A.B.A. (American Basketball Association) era.
Ever since Stockton made his first assist on October 26, 1984 during an N.B.A. regular season 102-94 road loss versus the Seattle Supersonics, the Utah Jazz had made the N.B.A. playoffs in each of his 19 seasons. The Stockton-led Jazz reached their peak with an 1998 N.B.A. Finals loss versus the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, losing in six games (4-2). By the time Stockton had retired after the Jazz’s first-round playoffs series versus the Sacramento Kings during the 2003 N.B.A playoffs (Jazz were eliminated 4-1), he had registered his 15,806th assist. That assist gave him the N.B.A. all-time career assists record, which still stands until this day. Former N.B.A. Hall of Fame Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd is in a distant second place, with 12,091 assists. I personally doubt that Stockton’s N.B.A. all-time assist record will ever be broken during our generation.
Below are some John Stockton career statistics and achievements:
John Stockton Biography and Fast Facts
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Born | March 26, 1962 |
| Spokane, Washington | |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft. 1 in. (1.85 m.) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb. (79 kg.) |
John Stockton Career Highlights and Awards
| John Stockton’s Career Highlights and Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x N.B.A. All-Star (1989-1997, 2000) | ||||||
| N.B.A. All-Star Game M.V.P. (1993) | ||||||
| 2x All-N.B.A. First Team (1994, 1995) | ||||||
| 6x All-N.B.A. Second Team (1988-1990, 1992, 1993, 1996) | ||||||
| 3x All-N.B.A. Third Team (1991, 1997, 1999) | ||||||
| 5x N.B.A. All-Defensive Second Team (1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997) | ||||||
| 9x N.B.A. assists leader (1988-1996) | ||||||
| 2x N.B.A. steals leader (1989, 1992) | ||||||
| N.B.A.'s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team | ||||||
| No. 12 retired by Utah Jazz | ||||||
| W.C.C. Player of the Year (1984) | ||||||
| 2x First-team All-W.C.C. (1983, 1984) | ||||||
| No. 12 retired by Gonzaga University |
John Stockton N.B.A. Career Statistics at a Glance
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Points | 19,711 (13.1 p.p.g.) |
| Assists | 15,806 (10.5 a.p.g.) |
| Steals | 3,265 (2.2 s.p.g.) |
John Stockton breaks the N.B.A. all-time career assists record (9,222 assists) Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz–February 1, 1995
John Stockton Career Passing Skills Compilation
John Stockton Career Highlights
John Stockton Top 10 Playoffs Performances
John Stockton Final N.B.A. Game (2002 N.B.A. Western Conference First Round Playoffs–Game Four–April 29, 2002)
Sources: Wikipedia–https://www.en.wikipedia.org, E.S.P.N.–https://www.espn.com, Utah Jazz–https://www.nba.com/jazz/, YouTube–https://www.youtube.com
