Hoops Habit
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50 greatest NBA players to never win a championship

By Maxwell Ogden

PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers expresses emotion after making a basket during their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 1, 2005 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bucks won 117-108 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers expresses emotion after making a basket during their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 1, 2005 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bucks won 117-108 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Jazz icon, John Stockton
John Stockton (Photo credit: MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images) /

4. John Stockton

  • Years Active: 1984 to 2003
  • Teams Played For: Utah Jazz
  • NBA Finals Appearances: 2

When it comes to the point guard position, you can’t play it much better than Utah Jazz legend John Stockton managed to. He was a threat to do everything on the court, and as the statistics show, he was the very best to ever rack up assists or come away with steals.

No hyperbole is necessary.

Simply put: Stockton is the best point guard to never win a championship. That unfortunately comes with the knowledge that he had two golden opportunities to do so.

Stockton paced Utah to the only two NBA Finals appearances in franchise history. He also helped Utah reach the Western Conference Finals on five separate occasions.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen ultimately got in the way, but it’s a feat unto itself that Stockton helped Utah achieve such prestige.

Stockton ranks No. 1 all-time in career assists at 15,806—putting him nearly 4,000 assists ahead of the No. 2 player, Jason Kidd, at 12,091. Stockton is also No. 1 in NBA history in career steals at 3,265, putting him nearly 600 steals ahead of the No. 2 player—again, Kidd, at 2,684.

Stockton is also No. 2 in NBA history in assists per game at 10.51 and No. 8 in steals per game at 2.17, thus proving that it was more than just longevity that got him to the top of those lists.

The word longevity, however, is underselling just how durable Stockton was. He missed a grand total of 22 games in 19 NBA seasons. Those 22 games were spread out across two years.

In other words: Stockton appeared in every single game during an unfathomable 17 separate seasons.

With 11 All-NBA selections, five All-Defense nods, and an NBA record nine seasons as the Association’s assists leader, Stockton was in a class of his own.

The term “pure point guard” might as well have Stockton’s face next to it.