Alright, let’s gab a bit about this Utah Jazz fella, the old point guard. Don’t rightly remember his full handle, but everyone called him Stockton, yeah, that’s it, John Stockton. He played a long, long time ago, way back when I was still young and spry, or so I thought.
Now, this Stockton fella, he weren’t no giant like some of them basketball boys today. He was just a regular-sized fella, maybe a bit on the short side, but quick as a hiccup and tough as an old boot. He played his whole dang career for the Jazz, never went hoppin’ around to other teams like some of them do nowadays. Loyal, that’s what he was, like a good ol’ dog.
He was a real whiz with the ball, you know, the kind that could thread a needle with a pass. And shoot? Don’t get me started. That boy could sink ’em from near anywhere. Not fancy, mind you, just plain ol’ good shootin’. And tough, Lord, he was tough. Never seen a fella take so many knocks and keep on goin’. Reminded me of my ol’ mule, stubborn and always movin’ forward.
They say he was one of the best point guards ever. Now, I don’t know much about all that “best ever” talk, seems like everyone’s always yappin’ about who’s the best this and the best that. But I tell you what, that Stockton, he was somethin’ special. He made the whole team better, got everyone involved. He wasn’t about showin’ off, just about winnin’, plain and simple.
- He played for the Jazz his whole career
- He was a great passer and shooter
- He was a tough player
He played with another fella, a big strong one, Malone, I think his name was. Karl Malone, that’s right. Those two, they was like peas in a pod, always knew where the other one was gonna be. Stockton would get the ball, zip it over to Malone, and boom, two points just like that. They played together forever, it seemed like. Made for a real good team, them Jazz were, always in the playoffs, always fightin’.
I reckon he played college ball somewhere down south, Louisiana or somethin’ like that. Probably where he learned all them fancy passes and such. College ball was different back then, not so much flash and bang like it is now. Just good, solid basketball, that’s what it was. And Stockton, he was a product of that, good, solid, and dependable.
Nowadays, the Jazz got different fellas playin’ point guard, Conley, Clarkson, fellas like that. They’re good players, don’t get me wrong, but they ain’t Stockton. Ain’t nobody quite like him, not in my book anyway. He had a way about him, a quiet toughness, a way of just gettin’ things done. He wasn’t about the flash, just about the win. That’s what I liked about him.
He played a long time, longer than most, all the way into his forties, I think. That’s a long time to be runnin’ up and down that court, bangin’ into them big fellas. But he kept goin’, kept playin’ hard, right up to the end. That’s what I call dedication, that’s what I call a real ballplayer. He wasn’t one for all that fancy talkin’ or showboatin’. Just went out there and did his job, day in and day out. And he did it darn well.
So yeah, that Stockton fella, he was somethin’ else. The old point guard for the Utah Jazz. A real legend, even if this old lady don’t know much about basketball legends. He was just a good, tough player, and that’s all that matters in the end, ain’t it?
Tags: [Utah Jazz, John Stockton, Point Guard, NBA History, Karl Malone, Jazz Players]
