The all-time assists and steals leader — the most efficient point guard in NBA history alongside Karl Malone.
John Houston Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington in 1962 and attended Gonzaga University before Utah Jazz selected him 16th overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. His 19-season career — spent entirely with Utah — produced the all-time NBA records for career assists (15,806) and career steals (3,265) — records he holds by a margin so wide they are considered essentially unbreakable. He averaged 10.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game across his career. His partnership with Karl Malone — running the pick-and-roll for nearly two decades — produced two NBA Finals appearances (1997, 1998), both times losing to the Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan. He was selected to 10 All-Star games. He won Olympic gold with the Dream Team in 1992 and the 1996 team. He was named to the NBA 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. He and Karl Malone are the defining example of a long-term basketball partnership — two players whose games were perfectly complementary across two decades. His assists total of 15,806 is 3,804 more than the next player.
All-time NBA leader in assists and steals
How They Played
Pure point guard with exceptional passing and basketball IQ
Lasting Impact
Greatest point guard in NBA history, revolutionary court vision
Olympic Gold Medal 2x
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold Medal 2x
- All-Star 10x
- All-NBA First Team 2x
- All-NBA Defensive First Team 5x