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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

ByHans Themistode|
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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John Stockton and Karl Malone
John Stockton and Karl Malone (Photo by DANIEL LIPPITT/AFP via Getty Images)

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 10. John Stockton

Throughout NBA history, no two players were joined at the hip quite like John Stockton and Karl Malone. The pair were inseparable and nearly indomitable on the court.

As a duo, they truly began wrecking the league together from the 1987-88 season up until the 2002-03 league year. The stats they were able to rack up as a pairing seem nearly impossible.

For instance, let’s take a look at Stockton, for nine consecutive seasons he led the NBA in assists and never averaged less than 11.2 during that stretch. He wasn’t an aggressive scorer but that doesn’t mean Stockton didn’t get busy on that side of the court either. Stockton averaged no less than 14.7 points during that nine-year run and recorded three straight seasons of at least 17 points per game.

While Stockton was the brains of the operation, Malone was the muscle. From 1988-1998, Malone averaged at least 25.2 points per game. He was also a beast on the glass, racking up over 11 per game during a five-year span.

Stockton and Malone made numerous All-Star trips, All-NBA appearances and pushed the Utah Jazz to the promised land in 1997 and 1998. However, no matter how great they were, they’ll always be linked to their NBA Finals battles against the Chicago Bulls in those back-to-back years where they came up just short.