Is John Stockton the Greatest Passer in History? Exploring Why Jazz Legend is Better Than Magic Johnson, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul

The NBA has produced a ton of impressive dime-droppers in its almost eight-decade-old history. From Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson in the 1950s-1960s, Magic Johnson in the 1980s, along with Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul in the post-1990s era, the list goes on and on. However, Utah Jazz point guard legend John Stockton remains in a league of his own.

Stockton spent all his 19-year NBA career with the Jazz and was famous for his Pick N Roll partnership with Karl Malone. The duo enabled the Jazz to make two straight Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately, their title hopes were discarded by Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls both times.

The lack of rings is a huge reason why the former Jazz ‘floor general’ is often overlooked in the conversation of the greatest passers of all time. But a peek at the numbers tells a different story. Stockton wipes the floor with every other GOAT passer candidate when it comes to the assists statistics.

Here is an exploration that proves why he is arguably the best passer of all time.

John Stockton’s assists accolades are second to none

Stockton won an NBA record nine straight assists titles from 1988 to 1996. While Bob Cousy did win eight straight assists titles, he never hit the 10 Assists per game during any of the seasons. Meanwhile, during his nine-season run, Stockton tallied 13.1 assists per game in 734 games, a record that may not be broken anytime soon, if ever.

During the stretch, Stockton compiled 14.54 assists per game in the 1989-90 season(1134 assists in 78 games), an NBA record for most assists per game by an individual for a single season. During the 1990-91 season, he broke the record for most assists by a player in a single season with 1164 assists in 82 games(14.20 APG). Thus, he established the most prolific assist records in back-to-back seasons.

In fact, Stockton possesses five out of the top six NBA seasons with the most assists per game for a player. In terms of most assists in a single game, Stockton is the only one who figures in the top-ten list three times, with 28 assists being his career-high mark.

It wasn’t just that Stockton was racking up a ton of assists but he was doing so quite efficiently as well. Looking back at the two season he’d made the NBA Finals (1997 and 1998), his asst/TO ratio was 3.47 and 3.37, both numbers that are beyond incredible for someone in his mid 30s.

A brief look at the former Utah Jazz guard’s resume sums up his passing dominance and a comparison with others only lifts his profile further.

John Stockton compared to other elite passers

Stockton is the all-time leader in total assists with 15806 helpers in 1504 matches. He is only second to Magic Johnson in assists per game. However, he compiled 10.51 APG in 1504 games whereas Johnson’s 11.19 APG came in 906 games. Had Johnson played as many as 1500 games or so, his assists numbers would have likely come close to rivalling that of Stockton’s.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul has tallied 9.3 assists per game in 1207 games whereas Russell Westbrook has recorded 8.13 assists per game in 1169 games. Westbrook’s 11.7 APG average for a season is best among active players but even that mark falls short of Stockton’s nine-season passing reign(13.1 APG) in the league.

The fact that Stockton maintained an average of around 10.5 assists per game despite playing many more games than these athletes also sums up his domination in the sphere. Hypotheticals regarding whether Magic or Oscar would’ve passed him if they played more games can be fun but unrealistic as giving credit for an absurd level of durability should also be a factor in these debates.

The 10x All-Star didn’t touch the 10 APG mark during his last six seasons in the league. However, his work from 1988 to 1996 ensured that he stayed above the mark for his career.   

Conclusion: John Stockton is the GOAT passer

One of the reasons Stockton is overlooked as the best passer of all time is his playing style. Many of his assists came via Pick N Roll action with Karl Malone. Malone would reach the scoring marks that he did because of Stockton but also because of his own prowess as one of the greatest inside finishers the league has ever seen. So, a chunk of the credit for John’s made assists can be credited to ‘The Mailman’.

Stockton often made fundamental passes instead of having a flashy game. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson is perhaps the flashiest passer of all time when you weigh in how successful he was with those flashy passes.

He combined his extraordinary strength and terrific vision to deal passes from way beyond half-court while also dropping a ton of no-look dimes. This is a key reason in Magic Johnson often being considered the greatest passer and point guard of all time.

However, the numbers speak for themselves. Stockton’s sustenance of his assists number over a 19-year period is the hallmark of his legacy. It is not a stretch to say that he is the best passer of all time.