<P>No crowds cheered and no bands played when John Stockton entered the NBA in 1984. To basketball connoisseurs, he was an intriguing prospect, a pocket Jerry Sloan with incredible passing instincts. But to casual fans, he was simply an obscure player from a small school in a farflung city. "Is that Stockton from Gonzaga," they cracked, "or Gonzaga from Stockton?"</P>

<P>Soon enough, the Stockton jokes ceased. The point guard of the Utah Jazz holds prestigious NBA records, including most career assists and steals. He's one of three players to pass for more than 1,000 assists in a season, a feat he accomplished seven times. Perhaps most impressive of all, Stockton played in 98.6 percent of Utah's games in his career, and the 22 he missed were bunched into only two seasons in 17 of his 19 campaigns, Stockton played a full slate, with a layitout, floor burn approach initially cast in the 1970s by his hardscrabble coach, Jerry Sloan. On the short list of great point guards, his name appears alongside Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas.</P>

<P>In both style and substance, Stockton was a throwback to the days when point guards were looked to for leadership and selfless passing. His ratio of assists to fieldgoal attempts is among the highest in NBA history, despite being one of the best shooters on his squad (for his career, Stockton's .515 shooting is an anomaly for a perimeter player). In terms of leadership, he was the proverbial <a href="http://www.monclerstore.co.uk/"><STRONG>www.monclerstore.co.uk </STRONG></a>"coach on the floor," running the offense, controlling the tempo, rallying the troops. Stockton never made a flashy pass when a simple one would do.</P>

<P>Physically, he failed to impress. He's 6'1'' and 175 pounds and doesn't jump particularly well. Stockton's best tools were his head, heart, vision, and gigantic hands (a trait he shares with Cousy). Stockton had the rare ability to manipulate <a href="http://www.monclerstore.co.uk/"><STRONG>moncler uk online</STRONG></a> the ball with his fingers and shoot precision passes off the dribble. He had superb endurance, working long minutes without tiring, and played with a toughness belying his choirboy image.</P>

<P>Stockton was born March 26, 1962, in Spokane, Washington, where he caught ratball fever at an early age. He made AllCity as a senior at Gonzaga Prep High School before enrolling at Gonzaga University as a 148pound freshman. Improving step by step, he bumped his scoring average from 3.1 to 11.2 to 13.9 to 20.9 his senior season, while his assist average peaked at 7.2 per game. The Jazz grabbed him with the 16th pick in the draft.</P>

<P>For three years, Stockton backed up veteran Rickey Green. During the 198687 season, Stockton was the only NBA reserve to finish in the top 10 in two statistical categories (assists and steals). After the fourth game of the 198788 season, he moved into the starting lineup for good, and that season he set an NBA record with 1,128 assists. The chief beneficiary of his passes was power forward Karl Malone, who had joined the team in 198586. Olympic team; <a href="http://www.monclerstore.co.uk/"><STRONG>moncler uk</STRONG></a> together, they forged Hall of Fame careers. Each year from 198792, Stockton recorded more than 1,000 assists. Malone averaged 29 points during that span.</P>