Utah Jazz icon John Stockton is one of the finest point guards in NBA history, but he has been called one of the dirtiest players ever as well. Fellow Hall of Famer Gary Payton disagrees with that narrative, though, as he called Stockton his best point guard matchup and defended him on the Club 520 Podcast.
“He was just a little bit more crafty,” Payton said. “Everybody thought he was dirty, but we was just stupid. We just didn’t know how to play him. It took me six years to figure him out.”
A bit later, Payton stated he idolizes Stockton and added that he is one of his best friends. While that’s great, it should also tell you, though, that he might just be looking through rose-tinted glasses here.
Payton once called Stockton the greatest point guard of all time. He does have a case in the sense that he won a record nine assists titles and is the NBA’s all-time leader for assists with 15,806. Still, you won’t find too many others who’d call him the best at the position.
Payton also stated that Stockton was harder to guard than Michael Jordan. Safe to say, he is a very big fan. Not many other contemporaries were all too fond of Stockton, though. Earlier this year, Vernon Maxwell went off on Stockton on the All The Smoke podcast.
“Stockton dirty as f***. One of the dirtiest f***ing players in the NBA ever, this little short little mailbox looking like carry a** and he’s dirty as hell he’s a dog he’s a demon for real, he just don’t look like that but he was nasty.”
Now, one might claim that Maxwell is blinded by his hate for Utah, but others have said this as well. Gilbert Arenas said Stockton was the dirtiest player he ever played against. Arenas only played against him for two seasons, but he did enough damage in that time to occupy the top spot.
Arenas stated that Stockton would knee and elbow players. He added he is glad he didn’t play in the 1980s, because that wasn’t basketball.
Even some who have some love for Stockton have stated he didn’t exactly play by the book. Steve Kerr had the pleasure of facing off against him in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals when the Chicago Bulls took on the Jazz. Kerr certainly did not enjoy the experience of playing against Stockton.
“We played Utah two years in a row,” Kerr said on Open Court. “Twelve games against John Stockton. And I have the greatest respect for him. I see him away from the court. Love him. Great guy. But he was a dirty b******. I’m letting it out, I’m letting it out. I’ve never seen a therapist about this, so this is my time to let it out.”
Kerr at least got the last laugh, as the Bulls beat the Jazz in both of those series in six games. Had the Jazz managed to win one of those, Stockton’s career would have been looked at differently. He might have been in that conversation for the greatest point guard of all time with a championship on his resume, but it wasn’t to be.
