Stars that had title hopes ruined by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls: John Stockton
Another former NBA superstar that came up just shy of winning a ring with the Jazz a couple of times at the hands of Jordan and the Bulls is the legendary point guard John Stockton. “Stock” is one of the best point guards in NBA history as he is an 11-time All-Star, nine-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, and 11-time All-NBA Team selection.
As one of the best duos in NBA history, it is very hard to believe that Stockton and Malone never won a title together during their time in Utah. You could also argue that Stockton and Malone were the best duo in NBA history never to win a title together.
Yet, it is an easy argument to make that Jordan and the Bulls held Stockton to the two worst performances in any of the postseason series for him in 1997 and/or 1998. Stockton scored more than 20 points on just one occasion in a dozen tries in those two NBA Finals series. And the Bulls managed to hold Stockton to no more than seven assists in more than half of the games in these two series.
Stockton spent the entirety of his 19-year career in the NBA with the Jazz. And the closest he ever came to winning a ring was playing alongside Malone in Salt Lake City, UT, in 1997 and 1998. This was also maybe the most talented duo that Jordan and the Bulls ever faced in the NBA Finals.
It was impressive to see the likes of Jordan, Pippen, and the Bulls top this duo of Stockton and Malone with the Jazz in two straight Finals series near the end of their run with the team in the late 1990s.