John Houston STOCKTON

John Stockton is definitely among the best ever point guards to play in the NBA. Drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1984 (after narrowly missing selection for the Los Angeles Olympics), Stockton remained with the Utah side until his retirement in 2003. He led the league in assists nine seasons in a row (1987/88-1995/96) and is the all-time NBA leader in both assists and steals. Many of his assists went to Karl Malone, who shared most of his career with Stockton in Salt Lake City. With Malone's and Stockton's best years coinciding with the reign of Jordan's Bulls, they never won an NBA title, losing the final in 1997 and 1998 to Chicago. Stockton was selected for the first US Olympic basketball to feature professional players, the 1992 Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona. He returned for a second gold medal in Atlanta. Known as a tough player who kept wearing short-shorts long after they became unfashionable in basketball, Stockton received many honors, being named on the NBA All-Star team 10 times, and being selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).