John Stockton

John Houston Stockton is a former American professional basketball player. He played for the Utah Jazz as a point guard throughout his entire NBA career. Stockton is regarded as one of the greatest players, passers and point guards of all time. Born in 1962, John was a 10-time NBA All-Star and was selected multiple times as an All-NBA Team member.

The Utah Jazz drafted Stockton in the 1984 NBA draft 1984. Earlier, he played high school and college basketball as well. His team appeared in the playoffs of each of the 19 seasons he played for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz appeared in the NBA Finals twice, in 1997 and 1998 but lost to the Chicago Bulls. John Stockton also worked as an assistant coach (2015-16) for the women’s basketball team named Montana State Bobcats at Montana State University.

John Stockton Early Life

John Stockton was born (on March 26, 1962) and raised in Spokane, Washington, US. His father’s name was Jack Stockton, while his mother’s name was Clementine. John attended high school at Gonzaga Prep and then moved to college in 1980. No further information is available about the early years of John Stockton’s life on the web.

John Stockton NBA Journey

John Stockton was drafted in the 1984 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. It was the result of a significant rise in his stock before the draft. He witnessed his highest-scoring game as a rookie with 19 points in only 19 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on November 10, 1984. In the 1987-88 season, he became the starting point guard for his team, the Utah Jazz. In a win against the San Antonio Spurs, John scored 20 points on January 15, 1991.

Stockton recorded nearly a triple-double on February 12, including 19 points, 11 assists and nine steals against the Houston Rockets. The Utah Jazz approached the Western Conference Finals in 1992 for the first time. However, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated them in six games. John was named co-MVP of the All-Star Game in 1993 along with Malone.

The NBA 1994-95 season brought several accomplishments for John Stockton. He surpassed Magic Johnson in terms of assists as he posted 16 assists in a win over the Denver Nuggets on February 1, 1995. He dished out 15 assists in a victory against the Boston Celtics 17 days later. It gave him a career total of 10,008 assists to make him the first-ever player to post over 10,000 assists in a career. Similarly, he secured six steals against the Dallas Mavericks on March 25 to become the second player in NBA history to cross 2,000 career steals.

In the 1996-97 season, the Utah Jazz led the Western Conference with 64 victories. John posted 25 points and 13 assists in Game 6 of the Conference Finals to help his team reach the NBA Finals for the first time. However, they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the finals. In the 1997-98 season, Stockton missed 18 games due to a knee injury. But he showed good temperament to help the Utah Jazz enter the NBA Finals again. Unfortunately, the Jazz knee down to the Chicago Bulls again.

John Stockton Education

In childhood, John attended grade school at St. Aloysius. Later, he moved to a high school named Gonzaga Prep based in his hometown, Spokane. Stockton broke the city record for most points in a single basketball season. He decided to stay in Spokane even after having offers from Mike Montgomery in Montana and Don Monson in Idaho.

John joined Gonzaga University and played college basketball for Dan Fitzgerald. His grandfather was also a famous football player who played for the Bulldogs in the 1920s. Stockton averaged 20.9 points each game during his senior year in 1984. He led the West Coast Athletic Conference in terms of scores, assists, and steals. For this incredible performance, John was awarded the WCAC Player of the Year. Further, John was also one of the 74 players invited to the spring tryouts for the 1984 US Olympic team.

John Stockton Championship

John Stockton started playing in the National Basketball Association in 1984. The Utah Jazz drafted John in the 1984 NBA draft, and he stayed with the Jazz till his retirement in 2003. In his 19-year-long NBA career, Stockton didn’t win even a single NBA championship. However, his team appeared in two consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 but lost to the Chicago Bulls every time.

John Stockton Awards and Achievements

John Stockton Net Worth

According to some online sources, John Stockton’s net worth is approximately USD 45 million in 2023. The retired basketball player was one of the greatest and high-paid players in the NBA. He earned a gargantuan fortune from his professional sporting career along with some brand endorsements. John collected USD 62 million in salary alone during his NBA career. John’s peak earning was USD 11 million that he earned in both the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons.

John Stockton Contract

The professional American basketball player didn’t witness many occasions to sign professional contracts with different teams. He has played with the same team (Utah Jazz) since his inception in the NBA league. John signed a multi-year contract with the Utah Jazz in 1984. Later, he came to sign contract extensions over the years with the Jazz.

John Stockton Family

John Stockton belongs to a massive family with plenty of sportsmen. His grandfather, Hust Stockton, played professional football for the Frankford Yellow Jackets in the 1920s. He was also a team member who won the 1926 NFL championship. Stockton, along with his wife Nada Stepovich, lived in Spokane. Together, they have four sons (Houston, Michael, David, and Samuel) and two daughters (Lindsey and Laura).

Houston Stockton played basketball for the University of Montana Grizzlies as a defensive back. But his brother Michael Stockton signed with BG Karlsruhe (Germany’s 2nd basketball division) in 2011. He played basketball at Westminster College, Salt Lake City. Later, he signed in Germany’s 1st basketball division, the Basketball Bundesliga.

On the other hand, David Stockton played college basketball at Gonzaga till 2014 before representing the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz in the NBA. Their sister Lindsey Stockton represented Montana State University in basketball while Laura played basketball at Gonzaga. In 2020, Laura signed her first professional contract with Herner TC in Germany.

Furthermore, Stockton’s brother and three nephews also played college basketball. His brother Steve Stockton represented the University of Washington. Steve’s oldest son played at Whitworth College, while Shawn Stockton completed his college basketball career in the 2011-12 season at the University of Montana.

John Stockton's Wife

John Stockton’s wife is Nada Stepovich. She played an incredible role in John’s life, helping him achieve multiple accomplishments in his career. The couple got married to each other after the start of Stockton’s career in the NBA. However, both tried to keep their married life private. We don’t have enough details about John’s wife Nada to share. But it is known that she is a daughter of Matilda and Mike Stepovich and belongs to the United States.

Surprisingly, Nada was one of the 13 children of her parents. By profession, her father, Mike Stepovich, was a lawyer and politician who served as the last non-acting governor of the territory of Alaska. Previously, they used to live in Croatia and Montenegro. Also, there isn't much information about the profession of John’s wife Nada Stepovich. It is rumoured that she owns several businesses. Together, John and Nada have six children, including four sons and two daughters.

John Stockton's Dad

John Stockton’s father’s name was John H. “Jack” Stockton. He was known by his nickname Jack Stockton. Jack was the co-founder of Jack and Dan’s Tavern. It received national attention recently as a better gathering place for fans of Gonzaga basketball. Sadly, Jack Stockton died in 2017.

John Stockton Shoes

John Stockton wore shoes from different brands throughout his NBA professional career. He was seen wearing Nike shoes in many games he played for the Utah Jazz.