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Steve Kerr called John Stockton a “dirty bastard”
Steve Kerr, unlike John Stockton with the Utah Jazz, was never the face of an NBA organization. Kerr was also not a 10-time NBA All-Star or an 11-time All-NBA selection like Stockton. And Kerr was never a five-time All-Star, a nine-time assist leader, or a two-time steals leader.
He is also not the all-time leader in those two categories.
And he was clearly not a part of the fabled Dream Team. A champion in the NBA.
That’s five NBA titles, three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs.
And he won two of them against Stockton’s Jazz, nailing the game-winning shot in the inaugural Bulls-Jazz NBA Finals in 1997.
Kerr, who has added three more championship rings to his trophy case as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, recently reflected on those battles with Stockton and added another title for his fellow point guard to go along with “all-time NBA assists and steals leader,” calling him a “dirty bastard.”
Of course, in the affectionate sense.
According to Steve Kerr, John Stockton was a “dirty bastard.”
Stockton, at 6-foot-1 and maybe 175 pounds dripping wet, didn’t look the part of a tough guy in a league full of them back in the ’90s.
But, through the years, player after player has come out and revealed how tough the Gonzaga product truly was.
Stockton was an old-school type of player, as demonstrated by the shorts, and despite his diminutive stature, he didn’t back down from anyone.
He advocated hard play and even earned a reputation for being a dirty player.
And that reputation was verified in a Sports Illustrated players’ vote in 1997, when Stockton was ranked the league’s second dirtiest player, after only Dennis Rodman.
Kerr verified the reputation during an episode of Open Court in which he discussed the Bulls’ back-to-back clashes with the Jazz in the late 1990s.
“We played Utah for the second year in a row. Twelve games were played versus John Stockton.
And I have the highest regard for him. I saw him leaving the court. I adore him.
Fantastic individual. But he was a filthy scumbag. I’m releasing it, I’m releasing it.
I’ve never seen a therapist about this, so now is my chance.”
It’s a nice way of saying “dirty bastard.”
Also, read Giancarlo Stanton, Matthew Christopher Schnell, John Daly’s Married Life:
Stockton definitely knew how to get under his opponent’s skin, and despite being characterized as filthy by many, the two-time Hall of Famer still has their respect.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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