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Son doesn't bounce far from the net

An excellent account of a role-model father who happened to be in the NBA as attested to by an admiring son. Thanks for the story.

Jimmy would bet you guys a million dollars that basketball John sets as hard of screens in those Sunday morning pickup games then he did in his 2 decades in the NBA.

Great article. Living in Champaign, Illinois, I have seen a similar occurrence as Michael Jordan's oldest son Jeff walked on this year to play basketball for the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois. He is not his father: shorter, much lighter, but he leads the team in verticle leap and has surprized everyone with his play. Oh, by the way, he has an academic scholarship.

We need more guys like John Stockton in the NBA. He was one of the few truly great role models in the NBA. If any of his tenacity, toughness, and determination wear off on his son, he'll do great in college hoops. And if his son inherits his dad's humility, integrity, and good character, even better.

Dang, this story does make me feel old. I saw my first Jazz game in the old Salt Palace when John Stockton was a rookie coming off the bench, and the Jazz beat the (then) mighty Celtics. I've been a huge fan of his--and of the Jazz--ever since. It's good to hear a little update, and get some validation of the opinion I've always held, which is that on and off the court, John Stockton is one of the best players and people the NBA has ever seen. Best of luck to you, Michael!

To paraphrase former LDS church president David O. McKay, no success outside the home is as important as success in raising great kids. And for that I honor Stockton just as much as I admire his storied career. Stockton was the greatest player ever to play the game under 6'5". He was probably the second greatest white player (behind Larry Legend). He was the best pure point guard, behind only Magic as overall PG. He assisted more than Bob Cousy and Lenny Wilkens combined! And both those point guards made the Hall of Fame and the top 50 players of all time. Nobody set better picks or blocked out his guy better than Stockton. He shot better than almost any guard in history. And he did it all without letting his head swell. When asked whom he would pick to start an NBA team, Wilt Chamberlain said Stockton. John Wooden said Stockton was his favorite player and the only one he would pay to watch. And meanwhile Stockton stole 750 more passes than anybody in history. Wow!