The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #6: John Stockton-207.70
Seeing Utah Jazz Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton come in at sixth on this list is sure to be controversial given how high-profile some of the players that preceded him were. However, based on the formula used to come up with win shares, Stockton was a stud. While he was definitely not the flashiest player on this list, he got results. During his 19-season career, he missed just 21 games, allowing him to collect counting stats such as steals and assists like nobody’s business.
In fact, he is the all-time leader in both categories, which is a big reason why, despite never winning a championship, he ranks one spot higher than Duncan. Assists are a big factor in offensive win shares, as are steals in defensive win shares, and Stockton leading both by wide margins sure doesn’t hurt, as does his surprisingly low turnover rate.
Of course, most basketball fans would put Magic ahead of Stockton, and that might have been the case in win shares too, had Magic’s career not ended after just 13 years. Instead, Stockton is the highest-ranked point guard in win shares thanks to being a low-key superstar for nearly two decades.