Fans look back on days of Jazz Hall of Famers

Upon learning the Utah Jazz selected John Stockton with their first-round pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, Colin Taufer reacted to the news in a way that mirrored how many Jazz fans reacted that day.

Taufer was in downtown Salt Lake City on draft day. While his father ran errands, Taufer turned on the radio to search for any update on the draft he could find. Hearing Stockton had been drafted by Utah did not stir up feelings of excitement for him — especially since then-starting point guard Rickey Green was already one of his favorite Jazz players.

"When I heard they drafted Stockton, I was decidedly underwhelmed and, in fact, like most everyone, had no idea who he was," said Taufer, now a resident of Clearwater, Fla.

Like most Jazz fans, however, when Taufer thinks of Stockton now, much different thoughts come to mind. For him, Stockton will forever be remembered as a world-class point guard and one of the NBA's all-time greatest players.

"Other very good point guards came and went, but for two decades he was the man," Taufer said. "A rarity in any major league sport."

Stockton's contributions to the success of the Utah Jazz will be recognized when he is enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend along with current Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan.

Once in a Jazz uniform, Stockton quickly won over fans with his work ethic, solid defensive play and precision passing. He also left a lasting impression by leading fantastic comebacks and hitting dramatic last-second shots.

One of the earliest memories Salt Lake City resident Tom Wilkinson has of Stockton is of a dramatic last-minute rally he fueled in a regular-season game against the Chicago Bulls during the 1989-90 season.

That game, played on Nov. 15, 1989, saw the Bulls go up 107-100 on a basket by Michael Jordan with 40 seconds left. Stockton drained a 3-pointer two seconds later to cut the lead to four. It started a 8-0 game-ending rally — capped off by Stockton when he made a layup over Jordan at the buzzer — that lifted Utah to a 108-107 victory.

When Wilkinson saw the play, he couldn't help feeling slightly mad at Stockton because he was somewhat of a Bulls fan as a child. But, even then, he admired Stockton's ability to take over a game when he needed to do so.

"It was a classic moment," Wilkinson said.