Gary Payton says John Stockton was harder to guard than Michael Jordan 

"You guys didn't play against him, I did." Thank you Gary, fucking thank you.

A bunch of regular people arguing with one of the greatest basketball players ever about basketball. Ok.

'"You Guys didn't play against him, I did!" END OF DISCUSSION

How y'all gon tell him who was hardest to guard

"You guys didn't play against him I did". Exactly. nothing anyone else says after that matters.

John Stockton is so under rated. I dont think anyone will beat his assist record, plus he shot 50% from the field.

Payton is talking about nuances that are hard to put into words in one minute. Certain match-ups are just tougher than others. Notice he never once said Stockton was "better". There is a difference.

a fundamental guy is way harder to deal with than an athletic guy. its mentally aggrivating

I love how they ask him to defend his point, and then give him 10 seconds to do so

With Jordan, you guard one player. with Stockton, you have to guard 5.

You got a blonde chick who probably never played organized sports, a mediocre retired NFL quarterback, an underachieving former tennis player, and some guy I don't even recognize questioning an NBA hall of famer on something BASKETBALL related? WTF!!!!!!!

Why are some fools trying to tell GARY PAYTON who's harder to guard? Like really? I'm sure HE would know.

Yeah let's all question Gary Payton. I mean he's just an NBA Hall of Famer. What does he know?

When the Bulls went up 3-0 on the Sonics, Payton pleaded with George Karl to let him guard MJ, Karl gave GP his wish, the Sonics won the next 2 games but ultimately lost in 6. Jordan's shooting numbers in the finals with GP on him... GM4: 6/19 GM5: 11/22 GM6: 5/19 He isn't talking shit, he genuinely didn't have too much trouble with MJ.

The average sports fan doesn't understand basketball. Was MJ a better isolation scorer, of course. But like Gary said, a guy who goes off picks correctly, moves well without the ball, makes the right decisions, uses his body, protects the ball, and just generally plays smart can be a nightmare. Especially when you consider that he was an all-time great shooter and passer. I can see myself siding with Payton here. And he's right about Jordan never dropping 50 on him. GP put the clamps on Mike.

A bunch of couch potatoes who sit and watch basketball are going to try and argue with arguably one of the greatest PG defenders off all time? What nonsense?

Gary Payton played against both Stockton and Jordan repeatedly. He would know. The idiots saying that he's "wrong" have no place even speaking on the subject. Payton did a decent job on Jordan at times. It's true that Stockton was more fundamentally sound than Jordan. The sum of his game wasn't greater than Jordan's, but he was more fundamentally sound. Gary Payton guarded Michael Jordan in games 4 through 6 of the '96 finals, while nursing a torn calf muscle. He didn't guard him in games 1 through 3. In games 4 through 6, the Sonics went 2-1, and Jordan shot 22 for 60 with 11 turnovers. I'd say Gary is an authority on guarding MJ. 

Y'all must be too young to remember that Payton is the only PG to win DPOY, and is widely known as the only dude that slow down MJ one on one.

How can random people argue on who was toughest to defend with a guy who ACTUALLY defended against them?! That's mind-blowing! Plus it's just an opinion! GP thought that, for him it was harder against Stockton, that's it. But how can a guy who never played can argue and tell him he's wrong?!

I agree, he's not talking about who's better. Payton had to run into Karl Malone, who's built like brick wall, 25 times a game on the screen and roll. I'm sure Payton was aware of it which made it even more frustrating, but because Stockton can hit the jumper when he wanted to, you couldn't take your eyes off him and anticipate where the pick was coming from otherwise he'll put up 25 points and still get his 15-20 assists. He's trying to explain Basketball to these morons and they don't even listen to what the fuck he's saying.

People are trippin. Payton said Stockton was harder for HIM to guard. And that's completely believable. Stockton was the best pure point guard in terms of fundamentals the game has ever seen. Of course he was a nightmare for other POINT GUARDS to defend, because no other point guard COULD defend him. Just look at his averages throughout his career and it was obvious that no point guard in the league could stop him from doing pretty much whatever he wanted to on the court.

why can't people accept who gary payton personally found harder to guard? it's his opinion and he's been there.

How they going to tell Gary he is wrong when it's him that played against both?

First off the man never stated that John Stockton was a better basket ball player than Michael Jordan he simply said he was harder to guard. He probably was just really elusive, slipper, and set screens which made him difficult to guard. It's like if someone said it's harder to guard Kyrie Irving then it is to guard Lebron James because of Kyrie's outstanding handling and quickness. Doesn't mean Lebron is a around better player just means Kyrie is harder to guard. Same applies for John Stockton and Michael Jordan.

For a moment, this idiots almost shut up when Gary said that, "You didn't play against him, I did". This is the problem with this blubber mouths, they talk all day based on what they're just seeing, unlike former NBA players who actually played the game. Who would you believe, the ones who watched, or the one who played the game?

Stockton was pesky, did the dirty work, and yet so fundamentally sound. He moved around so much. And on top of that, he didn't speak one word to his opponent. I can understand how that would be deflating to a marquee trash talker and elite defender in Payton

i can see garry saying it and i belive it. Payton could try to match jordan athletisim, but stockton was a mad small genius, Very high IQ of playing the game and very ellisive and unpredicatble, using his brain as his biggest weapon, i believe him 100%

Idiots trying to argue with one of the greatest defenders of all time.. I think he knows a little more then the pundits.....

I think what he was trying to say was that it was harder to stop Stockton from doing what he did...when Payton was having a really good defensive game against Jordan, he could be effective. Not that he "stopped" Jordan from scoring, but that he could affect Jordan's efficiency...and Payton could do that, sometimes impressively (once holding Jordan to 14 points in a finals game). Stockton was not the scorer that Jordan was (only a very few could be considered in that category) but Payton had a harder time changing Stockton's line. Payton would, as one of the premier defensive guards of all time, have little effect on Stockton's game. Stockton played a different position than Jordan, had very different skills, but not lessor skills. Jordan couldn't have done what Stockton did anymore than Stockton could have done what Jordan did. That is one of the problems with the cult of Jordan (or Lebron or Kobe)...There were always players (even on his own team) that were better than he was at some things. Pippen was a far better defender and rebounder for instance...Jordan could never have had the defensive impact on a game that Hakeem had...or come close to playing the point like Stockton. Payton was a prideful guy and a fierce mind gamer. He would play Stockton and Stockton would still get his 18, 14 and 2 just like clock work...and never loose his cool. That is what the guy is trying to say.

Listen to what he said people! He didn't say Stockton was a better basketball player than Michael Jordan. However, if a guy has over 20 points, 15 assists, and four steals,that means that individual responsible for contributing a minimum of 50 points to the game, minimum! John Stockton had seven years in a row Ricky was averaging somewhere around 20 points and 15 assists. That's what he was saying by John Stockton was the more efficient player.

Hate that they make him only talk for seconds, I feel this should be like a good 20 minutes of analysis.

It is a fact that John Stockton was more efficient than Michael Jordan. So I think that is what he was referring to. Jordan scored more but took two or three times as many shots as Stockton per game. Stockton was a machine! He holds the NBA record for most career assists and steals! On top of all that he found a way to score 20 points a night! He is by far the greatest point guard to ever play the game!

Most people are so brainwashed by the media so when they hear Jordan's name, they automatically assume he was the best at everything. Jordan is the greatest of all time, absolutely but I can see where Gary is coming from. I don't think Gary means Stockton was the hardest to guard one on one (which would be Jordan and Kobe) but rather than he was the most difficult to predict. Stockton was, in my opinion, the greatest "floor general" in NBA history and he knew how to run an offense better than anyone (Chris Paul is up there too). With Stockton, you never knew what he was going to do. Stockton ran the most beautiful pick and roll/pop, knew how to find the open man and get the pass to him (most of which fans and other players couldn't see), and knew how to play dirty. What I think Gary is saying is that Stockton could do everything offensively (passing, sharpshooting, running an offense, cheating you off of defensive mistakes) where was Jordan was the most ruthless one on one player ever because let's be real here, Jordan wasn't passing the ball when he saw a challenge. Jordan would attack you whereas Stockton would find the easiest way to punish you.

Can't argue with Gary Payton, he was the one out there guarding both players so he knows better than anyone.

GP has the patience of an iguana. how he didnt pop off on these idiots is an inhumane feat of will power.

John Stockton is underrated even though he was a DURABLE little guard that played in the era where basketball was PHYSICAL. I mean come on, he barely missed any games in his entire career and he made smart plays and had Hall of Famer Karl Malone with him !

the notion an analyst would know as much or even more than the subject player himself is wrong more often than not. You can be a great observer of the game, know all your stats and NBA history, but if you haven't stepped on the court and looked a man in the eye, fought NBA playoff wars - there's a whole dimension you have no clue about and everything you've been building for argument can blow into ashes in a second. Nothing beats the physical experience.

No surprising here... Great Point guard is harder to guard than Great Shooting guard. it has always been like that...

Guarding five players is harder than guarding one

I used to watch John Stockton play and that man is one of the greatest. Arguably the most underrated player ever!! Folks are crazy!!

I AGREE fully with Payton. I'm gonna say another thing too and go even further and SAY that John Stockton, in his prime, was a BETTER offensive force than Michael Jordan was in his prime. BLASPHEMY#%$#^&*( Nope, just the truth. And I'm gonna prove it! Now all off you are gonna say: "Pfff! Jordan in his best year averaged 37.1 ppg while Stockton in his best year averaged 17.2 ppg. OWNED!!!" No Contest. The G.O.A.T Wins by a landslide etc. NOT TRUE! In fact, FAAR from it. If you want to to calculate the full offensive contribution of a players you must also take into the account their assists*, their efficiency** and their arsenal of offensive tools*** a defender has to deal with. _* Assists_ First let's calculate the average net worth of an assist in that era, which is above 2 pts and not exactly 2 points because you also have to take into the account the three point plays. In NBA, at that time, the ratio of field goals to 3 points made was around 13:1, so that puts the average worth of an assist at around 2.07 points. In today's times the ratio is closer to 10:1. Here I'm gonna list the best personal years of both players in the NBA: In *'87 Jordan* had 37.1 ppg and 4.6 ast (in 40 minutes) with 0.182 3pt% = 37.1 + 4.6*2.07 = *46,62* total combined points from goals and assists per game In *'90 Stockton* had 17.2 ppg and 14.5 ast (in 37.4 minutes!) with 0.416 3pt% = 17.2 + 14.5*2.07 = *47,21* total combined points from goals and assists per game So as you can clearly see, Stockton's offensive OUTPUT is straight up better than Jordan's just by BRUTE points/assists combined. _* * Efficiency:_ It is widely known that Stockton was by far the most efficient PASSER, by FAR, out of all the point guards, not even Magic being able to match his best years with his. In fact, the only reason Stockton is #2 at efficiency per career behind Magic is because Magic retired early because of his HIV while Stockton grew old and his last years hurt his stats. Stockton IS the #1 & #1 in most assists Ever and in most Steals Ever by light years ahead of anyone else. Related to efficiency, the Jordan comparison and the *combined points&assists* per game above, I can also say that Jordan played more minutes than Stockton as I pointed out (40 min vs 37.4min). As a matter of fact, per 36 min Jordan has only 41,88 pts vs 45,58 of Stockton's _* * * Offensive arsenal_ Although Jordan was extremely good at driving to the rim and a good free throw shooter, he was limited in everything else: Jordan's 3PT% in '87 was 0,182 while Stockton's 3PT% '90 was 0.416%. This was another dimension that Jordan didn't have. Not even late in his career did he even get close to John. Jordan's passing, although decent, was no where near Stockton's in numbers or efficiency. Although he may have made 5 assists on average, it would have taken him a lot more failed attempts than Stockton. As a matter of fact, even though Stockton made double Jordan's career assist and shot more 3 pointers than Jordan per game, he has the same turnovers. In a Payton vs Jordan match up, Payton could have ignored MJ passing and focus only on 1-v-1 defending because most of MJ's offensive came from his going to the basket, so if Paydon could guard him all game, as he stated "If I could guard him to the fullest", then he takes a big chunk from his points tally. In a Stockton vs Payton 1-v-1 match up, even if Payton makes the perfect one on one defense, since 55% of Stockton's offense is in his play making, that only does half the job. He also has to do an equally stellar defense to take away Stockton's passing channels. Payton had to chose his poison or do a crummy job on both. Basically, by not putting all his eggs in one basket as they say, Stockton's becomes that much harder to guard. Most of Jordan's passes came when he bogged down in the paint, so he either dished the ball out wide for a low % 3pt play or back in the center for a low % 2pt jump shot to... Pippen. Stockton always tried to hit the big man in the post or do a fundamental pick-n-roll. So what are you gonna ignore, Jordan to Pippen or Stockton to Malone?! The way Payton says it at the end and what he was trying to say was that after all those games where he guarded Stockton it was still tough for him than the fewer times he guarded MJ. That says something. When a quality defender guards you for years, he should eventually get better at defending you because he will learn your moves. Just like Bobby Fischer would eventually stop losing chess matches against weaker adversaries after playing them a couple of times, the better the opposing player, the longer taking to read their game. But because the way Stockton played, like Russell said about Wilt Chamberlain, Payton could only put a few speed bumps in Stockton's way. On the other hand, if he would have played Jordan more, he would have only gotten better at stopping him. By all means, as one of the best defenders in NBA history, Payton is entitled to feel that John Stockton was harder for him to guard than Michael Jordan.

This is legit, for years GP and Kemp were going battle against Malone and Stockton. GP probably compared themselves against Stockton and Malone. Kemp and GP were more athletic but Stockton and Malone were so much more effective. GP defended Jordan in the 96 final and Payton along with the Sonic did a pretty good job on MJ. They limited MJ to a few games in the 20s, that's low for playoff MJ. However, I don't think GP never stopped Stockton.

Stockton in general is one of the most underrated athletes of all time...i guess because he just looks like an average white guy? People that aren't true fans don't realize he's pretty much the greatest point guard of all time and his #1 records in assists and steals will likely never be broken...even when he was on the Dream Team & all his other teammates would be swarmed in the streets, nobody even recognized him when he was out in public.

I think I get what Gary is saying. The way Stockton did it probably posed more problems. You have to keep in mind we're not talking about a game of 1 on 1, but 5 on 5. i doubt Gary is saying in a game of 1 on 1, Stockton would be a harder cover. But, in a team game, utilizing all his team to maximum effectiveness, it probably could have been harder.

It's kind of amazing to me that Payton not only actually played many years in the NBA, but is one of the best defenders to ever play the game, and he played not only against Jordan and Stockton but also against many other great players - in other words, he's more than qualified to have and give his opinion on this ... but you got all these fans that completely disregard his opinion and even are angry that he has this opinion. And it's all because some people are so far up MJ's butt that they are blind and think he could never do anything wrong. I've noticed there are a lot of Shaq fans that are the same way. MJ and Shaq are both great players, but they are/were also extremely marketable and profitable for the NBA, and the NBA wanted you to think they could do nothing wrong ($$$$). So many people fell hard into the marketing trap and are still blind even though both MJ and Shaq haven't played for years. Meanwhile, the NBA is still getting rich off both MJ and Shaq even today.

stockton averaged 20pts,11 assists,3steals,2TO a game.. thats almost 60-70 points a game... do the math guys.. he is the most underrated player ever...nobody is saying he is better than jordan..but for me he is certainly more valuable....

Gary Payton is absolutely right. Also, it saddens me to see that major network television "sports analysts" would be so naive as to fall under the spell of Jordanism. It seems objectivity has become a lost cause these days...

Why are people so up in arms about this? He's not saying that he was a better player, just harder to guard.

Stockton was once called by Wilt the greatest player inch for inch of his time and one of the best ever!

I think the key word is "fundamentally sound." Stockton was all business. Payton knows what he's talking about.

Payton is completely right. Stockton played team basketball at its best. The statistic about the assists shows only a part of influence of Stocktons unselfish playstyle. Nobody has counted his screens. Nobody has called the passes for good chances which only could be stopped by a foul. Not without reason Malone is the player with the most freethrows. But the pass to Malone was not counted as an assist. An nobody has counted the charging fouls provoked by Stockton. Stockton is very underestimated but in my opinion he was one of the greatest player that we have seen. He is in my personal Top 10. Malone is overestimated. The reason is that too many people disregard the essence of the game and overestimate the statistics for points and rebounds. In football (real football, that one that is playing with the feet) the role of a the playmaker has a higher estimation. The playmaker (e.g. Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Maradona, Zidane) or a special midfielder with a high inflluence on the game (e.g. Xavi, Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Modrić) don't have the most goals or assists but they are more important than the more conspicuous goal getter. And real experts know that.

People tend to forget just how good Stockton was. He didn't have Jordan's flash, but who does? Besides, greatness isn't just about flash. Stockton was the "maestro" of that Jazz team. He was a guy who knew where the other four were at any given moment, which made him so unpredictable because defenders always had to worry about him passing the ball in any given direction. He moved the ball around better than any PG (and I would argue better than any PLAYER) of his era (and possibly all time). He was always fundamentally sound and mentally disciplined; he only shot when he had to and the opportunity was there and hardly ever forced any shots outside times of desperation. I don't even remember one time when he "broke." Guys like Payton and Jordan got into opponents' heads through both their play and their mouths. Stockton did it through his play alone, and it's clear he was damn good at it because he's STILL in Payton's head after all these years.

Who are these four idiots to tell Gary he is wrong. Every player is different, each player exposes weaknesses others don't. Would you rather defend Charles Oakley or Blake Griffin, both power forwards, both with completely different games. Because you can stop one and not the other, doesn't make one better.

Stockton is the Tim Duncan of point guards. Or is Tim Duncan the John Stockton power fowards?

pretty sure this guy know more then yall who was harder to defend between Jordan and stockton he was an NBA players

I’m a Chicagoan and I grew up watching MJ. He’s the GOAT BUT.... He wasn’t unstoppable. There were some amazing players that came along in the league that didn’t get the same chances as MJ. Our Bulls teams were loaded with talent in the 90s. We had incredibly deep teams which enabled MJ to do what he did best...score. He didn’t have to do too much on those old Bulls teams. He wasn’t carrying scrubs to the Championship every year. I believe GP because he played the game.

Stockton just frustrated Payton a lot more & there was no answer for his intangibles. U know what MJ is gonna do & u know what u have to do, so the prepping is easier. If he scored on GP, it was easier to accept because he was bigger, stronger & more athletic. With Stockton, it was almost like ur prep work was nullified. Even though GP was bigger, stronger & more athletic than John, he still couldn't stop him for some very odd frustrating reason. Dude was just that tough.

This segment was very pro Jordan that it was disrespectful to the great john stockton.

i agree with this...cause stockon was able to beat u in many ways...whether it was scoring, passing, stealing, picking, whatever...u knew mostly what jordan was going to do scoring-wise and he would do it anyway.

I don't see why this is a big deal. Style make fights. Even in basketball. GP just matched up better against Michael than he did against Stockton. So what? People need to stop being prisoners of the moment from both ends of the spectrum. You have people that are going crazy because of Gary Payton's comments thinking it's totally ridiculous to suggest that guarding Michael Jordan is anything less than impossible. Then you have other people calling Jordan "overrated" and calling people that are defending Jordan "dick riders" or sausage eaters. *SMDH* I guess we have to do this...... Michael Jordan career stats 30.1 PPG 5.3 APG 6.2 RPG 2.3 SPG Over 50% from the field. 83% from the free throw line. Led the league in scoring in every full season he played with the Bulls outside of his rookie year. Oh by the way, 1984-85 Rookie Of The Year. 5 league MVP awards, 3 All-Star game MVPs, 2 Slam Dunk titles, 6 NBA Finals MVPs and undefeated in the NBA Finals. Most points in a playoff game (63) against the Boston Celtics. Tied for more field goals made in a playoff game (24) with Wilt Chamberlain and John Havlicek. Most consecutive field goals in a playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991. The most 50, 40, and 30 point games in the playoffs. Only player to have at least 15+ points in every playoff game. Only player to record back-to-back 50+ point games. Most consecutive 45 point games. One of only two players in NBA history to be named league MVP and Defensive Player Of The Year in one season (Hakeem Olajuwon being the other.) 9-time All Defensive Team. 2 Olympic gold medals, and one NCAA National Championship with North Carolina. I could go on and on about his accolades (I'm not even joking because there are a TON more of awards and tops stats of his) but I've made my point. No matter what excuses, semantics, or butthurt that will follow this post to try and belittle anything Jordan did, A. I *don't* care so don't expect a response. and B. You can't argue with the facts. So accept it and move on with your life. You DON'T have to like Michael Jordan. The guy himself is actually kind of a sleaze-bag and I heard THAT from people that know him closely. A LOT of people. However, that has no bearing on his abilities on the court. Most (not all) of the best players in every sport are jerks. It's an unfortunate reality. That said, anyone calling Jordan "overrated" need to be slapped in the face with a man-hole cover. Like him or not, he's the greatest player ever. *PERIOD.* That being said, people like Gary Payton, Joe Dumars, and even Mitch Richmond have put the locks on Jordan throughout his career. Some people just match up good against you defensively. There are some players that just have your number. Like how Scottie Pippen shut down Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals because Jordan could not guard him. Pippen was bigger, stronger, and longer than Michael. GP just had a bead on Michael. It wasn't like they had to play each other that much though. What is being lost in what GP said was that he had a larger body of work guarding John Stockton than Michael Jordan so it would be tougher to guard a guy you are going to see 8-10 times a season versus a guy you may only see twice at best in a regular season. Think about it. Outside of the 1996 NBA Finals GP has never had to guard Michael Jordan more than twice in a season. He my have only played against him head-to head a dozen times more or less throughout his career in the regular season where as with Stockton he may have had to guard him 40-60 times throughout his career if you include the playoffs. He wasn't taking a dig at Michael. He's just being honest. So hopefully this can wrap up this debate.

Lol how is someone who didn't guard Micheal and John gonna tell a guy who did guard them which one is tougher to guard?

I actually believe Payton, in the 96' finals Payton basically shut MJ down for the most part. If he would have guarded MJ for the entire series instead of guarding him in like game 4 and beyond then the series probably would have went to 7 games

respect to gary payton for going against the status quo and giving a honest and thought out answer regardless of reprucussions and stil ltop 30 t every play

ESPN needs more blondes with legs on their shows. Less Stephen A Smith.

Has anyone else on the panel defended MJ and Stockton? No? Then it looks like Payton is the only one qualified to speak on the subject.

can't really argue with Gary u know.. :s he played the nba, i didn't.. lol. but yea, stockton was seriously a though competitor. one of the best point guards ever. (coming from a jordan fan)

I don't get why people are trippin over Gary Payton's words. Saying that John Stockton was the most difficult player to guard, for him.. That's not the same thing as saying John Stockton is better than Michael Jordan. Just like when Kobe was asked which player in the league was toughest for him to guard, he said Carmelo Anthony. Obviously he wasn't saying Melo was the games best player.. Just that for him that's who he struggled the most against. Every player is different.

"Harder to Guard" and "Harder to Stop" are two different things.

Payton was the Defensive player of the year back in 95 or 96. Obviously he earned that so he would kno who was harder to guard..bows or not..He Never said that Jordan wasn't a better player

I AGREE With The Glove!!!!! HE Had To Guard BOTH Of Them, NOT US!!!!!

guarding stockton was essentially guarding two people (Malone).. very hard to guard during pick and roll play, makes sense why the glove had such a difficult time. Stockton is underrated.

It's ridiculous that its blasphemy to say anything contrary or challenging about MJ. It's like your not drinking the cool aide if say anything different...

The most jordan ever dropped on payton was 45: www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199702020SEA.html He went 19-28 from the field. Stockton dropped 25 pts, 19 assists, and 5 steals once: www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199202270UTA.html He also had a 23-16-5 game that same year on payton. I agree with payton. It must hurt much more to be out-tricked by stockton than to be overpowered by jordan. Plus, payton was known for his ability to steal and assist the ball. He was really good at it. But guess what: The guy he faced 9 times a season was better. About 7000 assists and 800 steals better over his career.

MJ was one of the greatest players to ever step on a court and I don't think Payton would say it was easy guarding him. However, the Bulls ran a lot of isolation plays where Jordan would use his quick first step and crossover to beat his defender. OTOH, Stockton and Malone were probably the greatest practitioners ever of the pick and roll. Payton probably found it harder to defend against the various possibilities that can arise from an effective pick and roll (where either of the two players might score) than to play man to man against a single player, even when that player was Jordan.

I swear i hate when ppl who never played a basketball game ever in their life try to argue with someone who played or plays for the NBA

I wore 12 in high school and middle school because of Stockton. I fell in love with the game because of Stockton. He wasn’t the most athletic but he got the job done. He played his heart out and set records while being one of least athletic guys on the court. Hence why I liked him. He proved that heart and fundamentals can win you games.

Payton played against him, you others didnt, end of story.

get ypur stats right baby!

Y'all seen stocktons highlights? Bruh wasn't put on the dream team for nothing.

People don't often bring up Stockton because he never won any titles, seldom got into fights, wasn't a trash talker, didn't do a lot of promoting himself and endorsements, and he played in a boring place on a relatively boring team. He also wasn't a dunker with crazy athletic hops. He was quiet relative to other guards in the league who were also All-Stars. But, his team continually made it into the playoffs, always had winning seasons, he owns two of the top all-time records in the league, and he was great at everything. There were plenty of nights he put up thirty if he had to, or shut down an opposing guard, or created passing lanes that got the opposing team into foul trouble early. Most casual watchers don't pay attention to the game that happens away from the game, which is where he was better than everyone. He also stayed remarkably healthy throughout his career, stayed grounded, and never disparaged his organization or fellow players over money or staffing changes or trades. He was pure class.

It's true. Payton only had to guard Jordan for a couple stretches per game. Hersey, or Detlef were primary defenders against him. Payton however was put up against one of the best PG in history that is Stockton. What makes so hard to guard Stockton is because he's so deceptive and never does 1 on 1, because it's stupid. So you are not only guarding him but you are guarding against the system, pick n roll, pretty much entire offense that revolves around Stockton. Think about guarding him against pick n roll, or when he's leading the fastbreak with a steal(which he was awesome at). It's a nightmare if you had to do that for 40 min per game. OH, Stockton also was durable. Do NOT underestimate Stockton. He's arguably one of the smartest player that's ever played the game.

Stockton is easily the most underrated NBA player of all time. He'd have two championships if it wasn't for the fact that his teams ran into the one man that doesn't lose in the finals.

Fun fact: The difference between John Stockton and the second leading assister in NBA history (J-Kidd) is roughly the same as the difference between J-Kidd and the 13TH leading assister. All time legend

Oh this is hilarious! Payton actually had to guard Stockton on the floor...no one else there did!

i can see where gary payton is coming from. in his opinion, it was harder to guard stockton because stockton would consistently shoot 50% or more against payton and at the same time drop 10+ assists while doing it. but in a head to head match-up between jordan and payton, payton would make sure that jordan would shoot below 50%. sure jordan would still have good games against him but payton thought that it was easier to limit jordan's production than it was to limit stockton's.

To everyone dissing on The Glove, listening to what the man is saying! He isn't saying Stockton was a better player than Jordan, he was saying that Stocktons game gave him more trouble. Jordan was a known point scorer. Stockton was the best at assisting yet could also shoot and make the layup. You had to guard alot more than a drive or shot because he was so good at getting the ball to Malone for finishing. MJ would score 35 odd points and 5 assists = 45 points. Stockton = 17 points, 15 assists = 47. There's not much difference on points impact on the game.

Can't argue with him because he did play against both of them, but it's very interesting for him to say that. To break down why Payton said Stockton was tougher than MJ. He said, "We were more athletic than him, we were mad because he would set picks because we thought that was dirty." He also called him more fundamentally sound and he was. He and other players hated John Stockton because he knew the game more than them. Stockton was like that kid at school who always get straight A's and read books a lot while the cool kids didn't care but jealous on the inside. John Stockton was a basketball nerd and made him a basketball maestro.

Payton was one of the few players that defended MJ well. Held him to 24 ppg in the 96 finals. So he earned the right to say this.

“You guys didn’t play against him, I did” The Glove didn’t say Stockton was better than Jordan, just said he was harder for HIM to guard. Hall of Famers opinion. Also the last guard to win DPOY. End of discussion.

I can tell Gary is from Oakland just by the way he talks.

How y'all gonna tell GP who was harder for him to guard? It's all about styles and matchups. Learn some hoops. Don't matter how great of a defender you are, theirs certain players who are gonna give you more fits than others. That's just facts.

Quite simple, the key stat here are the assists: MJ - 5.3 apg career average, 8 on his best season(88-89) Stockton - 10.5 apg career average, 14.5 on his best season(89-90), 10 consecutive seasons over 10 apg. Stockton was a threat not only individualy(51.5 FG% against MJ's 49.7) but way more colectvily. So, when guarding him, you must watch for his shooting, drives and (emphasis here)passes. Take a look at how he and Malone used to run the pick and roll. MJ was a playmaker. He attempted more than twice more FGs than Stockton (22.9 x 9.1). Stockton was a team player. For every FG attempted, he had 1 assist. I believe he thinks that is easier to guard 1-1 than pick and roll

Andy Roddick looks like Stifler. I've always thought that.

Why would you argue with Gary Payton?

Nobody would deny that Jordan is the best ever right now; but Payton has a big point. Jordan was THE guy to go with the Bulls, so he was more predictable for defense; Stockton, on the other hand, was the quintessential wild card on the court, so it was actually tougher to defend.

Excuse me, John Stockton is the all time leader in steals and assists, who cares about DPOY?! Stockton is one of the best PGs ever. So don't disrespect Stockton's skills

To all the non-NBA players on the panel, Gary is right, he's been an NBA player that played both guys, he's just talking about the hardest players HE'S had to guard. He didn't say Stockton was a better player, he said the hardest for HIMSELF to guard. @Max Romero-what do Rings got to do with this discussion?

I remember hearing Isaiah Thomas saying that the Piston's preference was TO MAKE KARL MALONE BEAT THEM. The last thing they wanted was for Stockton to have the ball making decisions. How good do you have to be for a team to choose to have the ball in the hands of the man who has scored more points than everybody except Kareem instead of having to defend you?

Despite what a lot of people think Gary never locked down MJ in the Finals. Really Its all a myth, the only game he locked him down was game 4. Here is the stats for Jordan when Payton guarded him. which I don't think Michael took a shot against Payton. Game 1-6 points 2/2 with 2 assist 0 TO Game 2-0 points(2/3 on doubles, guarded him once with the ball one on one) 1 assit and 1 TO Game 3- 1/3 2 points 1 assist and 2 TO Game 4- 2/7 9 points 1 assist and 2 TO Game 5- 5/8 15 points 1 assist and 1 TO Game 6- 3/4 12 points 1 assist and 1 TO So Michael had 44 points in total and was 12/23(52%) 7 assists and 7 TO with Payton guarding him. So yes Payton did a great job and made Jordan turn the ball over as much as he got an assist but he still did not lock him down and this is proof. 52% is not locked down. Go look at Brons stats with Iggy guarding him in last years finals thats locked down. Also the game they played after the Finals George Karl put Gary on MJ where Gary was pretty much on him the whole game and MJ dropped 45 on him shooting 68% and MJ in his prime always burned Payton. So I'm pretty shocked that Payton would say Stockton is harder to guard than him but hey Its his opinion. Yeah your right Gary he didn't give you 50, he gave you 45 lol

I'm genetically 2% black and I'll even admit that Stockton is the greatest point guard of all time.