“I Thought He Was a Quack”: John Stockton Credits Chiropractor for His Longevity in the NBA

Spending nearly two decades in the NBA as a top athlete isn’t easy. John Stockton, however, managed that, with his career spanning from the mid 1984 to 2003, thriving in arguably the most physically charged period in the game.

Stockton missed just 22 games in his 19 years in the NBA. He saw eras unfold, dynasties rise and fall, and basketball change. The secret behind his long career? His chiropractor.

In an episode of The Maverick Approach, Stockton addressed his longevity and the insane stat of missing a negligible number of games. He began by factoring in luck. External factors never led to injuries. For instance, he didn’t suffer too many impacts with others on the court.

On top of that, Stockton trained hard. He trained when others would go off on vacations or sleep at home. As soon as the off-season began, he, along with his friend from Gonzaga, would get right to work. This, in Stockton’s words, prevented a “drop off”. Then, he met Dr. Craig Bueller.

“I thought chiropractors were quacks,” Stockton admitted. “I thought he was a quack, too. I avoided him for almost two years. Every day he’s in the training room, I’m like ‘No, no, no. You keep that stuff to yourself, buddy.’” 

But interestingly, Dr. Bueller changed Stockton’s mind. “Time and again, he resolved ankle sprains [and] tendonitis. I had a tendonitis that went on for a year and a half,” he said.

Stockton had even resorted to certain ‘banned’ anti-inflammatories, which were bad for the heart, but they didn’t work. Bueller, meanwhile, fixed it in just five minutes.

“Once I started trusting him, I went into his office and in five minutes, he fixed something I was taking [an] anti-inflammatory for a year and a half,” added Stockton.

Thanks to the doc, Stockton went on to have a legendary career and become a Utah Jazz icon. He was a 10-time All-Star in Salt Lake City and had his No. 12 jersey retired by the franchise.

Last but not least comes the most astonishing fact of them all: He missed just 22 games while playing 1,504 regular-season games during his 19-year career with the Jazz.