From Deseret News archives:
Stock's dividend
Stockton joins Sloan as hoop Hall of Fame honorees
When his selection to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is formally announced Monday morning in Detroit, no one will be surprised.
Some finalists for this year's class of inductees — including his longtime coach with the Jazz, Jerry Sloan — have spent the past several weeks uncertain of whether or not they'll make it.
But like contemporaries Michael Jordan and David Robinson, whose also-expected selections will be made official Monday as well, John Stockton's first-ballot election to the hall has been a shoo-in since the early May day in 2003 that he nonchalantly told a small group of reporters in Utah that his playing days were done.
"That's a no-brainer," Sloan, whose enshrinement alongside Stockton now is expected as well, said of the decision to induct the NBAs all-time assists and steals leader.
"John Stockton," he added, "was the epitome of what basketball was about, and what winning was about."
Sloan's sentiments are shared by many throughout the hoops world, from those he'll soon join in the Springfield, Mass., shrine to the game to those still playing today.
"John is one of the guys I respected most during my career," said Robinson, the former San Antonio Spurs center, "because of the way he carried himself, the way he approached the game as a consummate professional.
"I'm happy for him, and he's a lock. Those two (Jordan and Stockton) have the stats alone to get in, but what they meant to their team and the league transcends numbers."
Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler, both NBA stars who are already in, will welcome Stockton to the private club with open arms — and no registration card needed.
"John stays quiet and hidden, but let me tell you ... he was one of the most dynamic point guards to ever play the game. His assist total tells you about his ability as a player, but he was a leader and, kind of like Brett Favre, he was always there," Drexler said. "I tell players today, you can't be a leader, making the most money, and not be there for your team. He showed up — hurt, injured, sick. ... It's the mark of a true professional, and he epitomized that as well as anyone."
"He was a gritty little guy who played against the giants and had no fear. The greatest assist man outside of Magic (Johnson) in this game. If you were building your team, you start with a guy like John Stockton," Wilkins added. "You knew that pick-and-roll was coming. That's all (the Jazz) ever ran, and you couldn't stop it. They ran it as good as anyone could, 15-16 years, until the other team surrendered."
George Gervin, another retired NBA star also in the hall, embraces Stockton's selection with equal zeal.
