Today in Sports History: April 5

In 1990, former Utah Jazz guard, John Stockton, reached 1,000 assists. It was his third season in a row reaching this mark. 

Stockton played with the Jazz for 19 seasons (1984-2003). Throughout 1,504 games played, he scored 13.1 points per game, had 2.7 rebounds per game, and averaged 10.5 assists per game. 

He was named 11-time All-NBA, 10-time NBA All-Star, 9-time NBA Assist Champion, 5-time NBA All-Defensive Team, and 1-time NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player. He was the all-time leader in assists and steals as he had a total of 15,806 assists and a total of 3,265 steals. He became only one of two players in NBA history to have averaged double-digits in assists throughout his career. 

Stockton was one of 22 American men who competed in more than one U.S Olympic Basketball Team since the program was added in 1936. Stockton won two gold medals in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, and in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. He also won a gold medal in the 1992 Tournament of the Americas.

Stockton retired in 2003 and was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2009 as an individual player and then in 2010 as a member of the 1992 USA Men’s Basketball Dream Team. His No. 12 jersey and number were retired by both the Utah Jazz and his Alma Mater, Gonzaga, in 2004. 

In 2015, Stockton accepted an assistant coaching job for Montana State’s women’s basketball team. He currently resides within the sport and is spending time with his family, kids, and grandchildren.