Letters

Wooden enjoyed watching Stockton

The public memorial for ex-coach John Wooden was well-deserved. Not only was Wooden a consensus choice as the greatest basketball coach in history, but according to a Sporting News poll last year, he was also selected the greatest coach of all time in any sport! An incredible accolade for an incredible man. After his retirement Wooden was interviewed many times, during which he would inevitably be asked: Who is your favorite NBA player?

He would reply with a consistency that almost became a mantra: “John Stockton is the NBA player I enjoy watching the most, and the only one I would pay to see.”

Gonzaga’s John Stockton? The same. The John Stockton of 15,806 assists (record), 3,265 steals (record), two Olympic gold medals, one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame? Correct. Wooden must have been on to something, because the records bear him out. Every time Stockton went on the floor he put on a clinic. And to cap it off, when the greatest basketball genius of all time says that you’re his favorite player, you know that you have truly arrived. And it all started here in Spokane. Sleep well, John Wooden, and thanks for the heads-up. And thank you, John Stockton. We always knew you were the best!

Jack A. Jennings

Spokane