John Stockton - Underrated But Proved His Worth

John Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington, and attended the little-known Gonzaga University in his home town. A star player on the school's basketball team, Stockton averaged 20.9 points and 7.2 assists as a senior. He was the first player at his school to accumulate more than 1,000 points and 500 assists.

In 1984, the Utah Jazz selected Stockton with the 16th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Underrated at the start, Stockton soon proved his worth. He earned a reputation as being the best point guard in the league, and a reputation for longevity, when in 1984 he began what would become the record for most NBA games with the same team—1,271.

During his career with the Jazz, Stockton racked up a string of achievements. Named NBA Player of the Month in February 1988, he would eventually earn two-time All-NBA First Team selection (for 1993 and 1994), plus six-time All-NBA Second Team selection, five-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, three-time All-NBA Third Team selection, and play nine consecutive All-Star Games, averaging 7.8 ppg and 8.2 apg.