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NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history

By Josh Cornelissen

Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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John Stockton, Utah Jazz
John Stockton, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /

. Point Guard. Gonzaga Bulldogs, 1984 (No. 16). John Stockton. 8. player. 118

Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: John Stockton, Utah Jazz

Jerry West eventually broke through and won his title near the end of his career, but the next two entrants on the list never got that elusive prize. Even so, they combined to give the Utah Jazz two of the greatest careers in the history of the league.

John Stockton was a prolific player at point guard for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he starred despite lacking national fame. He was taken No. 16 overall in the loaded 1984 NBA Draft by the Jazz, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley as future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame players to come out of that draft.

Stockton would go on to play 19 seasons for the Jazz, running the point for head coach Jerry Sloan and dishing the ball to fellow Hall of Famer Karl Malone. For his career, he amassed 207 win shares, second only to Malone in win shares for one team.

If point guards are defined by assists and steals, then Stockton might be the best ever. Nine times he led the league in assists (every season from 1988 to 1996) and twice led the league in steals.

His career totals in each category may never be touched. Five times he was named All-Defensive, 11 times to an All-NBA team (twice on the First Team) and 10 times was an NBA All-Star. While the Jazz twice made it to the NBA Finals without breaking through, Stockton’s legacy in Utah is untouchable.