ALL THAT JAZZ: STOCKTON, SLOAN CHOSEN FOR NBA HALL OF FAME

Saturday was a big day for the Utah Jazz franchise as it was learned that former superstar pointguard John Stockton and current head coach Jerry Sloan have been voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.  While there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, the Salt Lake Tribune reported the news attributed to ‘reliable sources’.  Sloan and Stockton will join longtime San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson and Rutgers University women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer in this year’s class of inductees.

For both legends, it was basically a matter of time until the Hall of Fame calling.  Though there was some grumbling in Salt Lake City when the scrappy point guard out of Gonzaga was chosen over supposedly ‘more athletic’ players with the 16^th pick in the NBA draft.  The reservations didn’t last long, however, and even as a rookie Stockton wowed fans with his slick playmaking, unsurpassed court vision and outside shooting ability.  In 1985, the Jazz drafted Karl Malone out of Louisiana Tech with the #13 pick in the draft and he and Stockton became an unstoppable force for the next fifteen years.  In the process, the Utah Jazz went from an NBA doormat on the verge of financial insolvency to one of the league’s powerhouses and a model franchise.

Stockton holds the NBA record for career assists and steals by a wide margin.  The assist record, in particular, is downright insane.  Stockton dished out 15,806 assists during his career, which is 5,483 more than second place Mark Jackson.  Here’s where it gets crazy—Stockton and Jackson are among  only 33 players in NBA history who have recorded more than the 5,483 assist margin of difference between first and second place.  Stockton also holds the per game assist average for one season (14.5) and is one of only three players to record 1000 or more assists in a season (along with Isiah Thomas and Portland Trailblazer great Terry Porter).  Thomas and Porter reached 1,000 assists once each—Stockton reached this mark seven times in his career.

Jerry Sloan, meanwhile, continues to set records every time the Utah Jazz take the court.  After an all star level NBA career as a player, Sloan took over the coaching duties in Salt Lake City after Frank Layden retired in 1988.  He’s been there ever since, and is now the longest tenured head coach in North American professional sports.  He’s also the only NBA coach to ever win 1000 games with one team, a feat he achieved earlier this season.

Stockton and Sloan—along with Karl Malone, who will also be headed for the Hall of Fame as soon as he becomes eligible—were a perfect fit due to their no-nonsense, all business approach to the game.  All you really need to know about how Stockton went about his business can be learned from this comment to the Salt Lake Tribune when asked about his impending selection to the Hall of Fame:

"I don't know how I'm going to feel -- make or miss. As things came along throughout my career, I always tried to take them as they came -- the good and the bad. I guess this fits into that category. I'm not sitting here waiting for a phone call. I'm not hoping or praying. Induction doesn't have a lot of meaning in the present. If that time comes, I may say a whole different thing. But that's my approach right now."

Jerry Sloan is in his native Indiana attending his brother’s funeral and has yet to comment, but don’t be surprised if his remarks are oddly similar to Stockton’s.  Both men set an example for dedication, commitment and hard work that few in professional sports can match.