[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21485-21486]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I wish to speak about a matter of great 
prominence to the people of my State. This past Friday, in Springfield, 
MA, Jerry Sloan and John Stockton were inducted into the Naismith 
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This is a well-deserved honor, and I 
wanted to take a few moments to congratulate them both.
  As any fan of professional basketball can tell you, the Energy 
Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City is widely considered one of the most 
difficult places for visiting teams to play. Some have tried to blame 
this on the city's high elevation, but, if you have ever been to a game 
there, you know very well that it is because of the Jazz fans.
  You see, due to its relatively small population, Utah has only one 
major sports franchise--the Jazz. And there were times when people 
thought that this small market would not be able to sustain even a 
single NBA team. But for more than two decades the Jazz have enjoyed 
one of the most loyal and supportive fan bases of any team in 
professional sports. This is due in no small part to the careers of 
both John Stockton and Jerry Sloan.
  John Stockton grew up in Spokane, WA, and played basketball at both 
Gonzaga Prep and Gonzaga University in his hometown. He was a relative 
unknown when he moved into the professional ranks, picked by the Jazz 
in the middle of the first round of the 1984 draft and initially 
relegated to a reserve role on the team. But after three seasons he 
became the full-time starter at the point guard position and went on to 
have one of the most prolific careers in basketball history.
  Over the course of his career, he accumulated numerous honors. He was 
selected to play in the NBA All Star game 10 times. He played on the 
1992 and 1996 Olympic teams--the first two Olympic squads to include 
professional players winning Gold Medals in both years. He was selected 
to the All-NBA First Team twice, the All-NBA Second Team six times, the 
All-NBA Third Team three times, and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team 
five times. In 1996, the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary by 
selecting the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Of course, John 
Stockton was honored on this list as well.
  Though the accomplishment of winning an NBA championship eluded him, 
Stockton did lead the Jazz to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 
1997 and 1998. John Stockton was immortalized in the first of those 
seasons when, in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, he scored the 
last 9 points for the Jazz, including a last-second 3 pointer to send 
the Jazz to the Finals for the first time. This was probably the most 
memorable moment of Stockton's career and the history of the Jazz 
franchise and it is still replayed in montages of great sports moments.
  It is impossible to talk about John Stockton without mentioning Karl 
Malone. Together, these two formed one of the game's legendary one-two 
punches. Together, they became the league's models of consistency, 
commitment, and success. The two played 18 seasons and an NBA record 
1,412 regular-season games together as teammates. Due to their 
collaborative efforts, Malone finished his career as the second highest 
scorer in NBA history and Stockton holds the all time career assist 
record.
  Let's talk about that assist record for a moment. In the 63-year 
history of the NBA, only 4 players have career assist totals of over 
10,000. Stockton finished his career with 15,806 assists. Mark Jackson, 
No. 2 on the list, collected 10,334 assists--5,483 fewer than Stockton.
  But, the raw numbers don't do this record justice. To put it in 
perspective, only 37 players have dished out 5,483 or more assists in 
their entire careers. Indeed, just getting that many assists over a 
whole career would put you in pretty elite company--and that is the 
difference between John Stockton's total and that of the guy who is 
next in line.
  This record is among the truly unbreakable records in all of sports--
and it isn't the only one held by John Stockton. He also holds the 
career record in steals, also by a considerable margin. He holds the 
NBA record for the most seasons and consecutive games played with one 
team and is third in total games played.
  John Stockton's success on the floor was matched only by his 
consistency. He missed only 22 games during his career, 18 of them came 
in 1 season. In 17 of his 19 seasons in the NBA, he played in every 
single game. Overall, he played in 1,504 of 1,526 possible games. These 
are Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken-type numbers.

[[Page 21486]]

  Stockton will always be remembered for his no-nonsense approach to 
the game, his hard-nosed defense, his matchless work ethic, and his 
quiet, unassuming personality. His unflashy, fundamentally sound style 
of play earned him the respect of John Wooden, the legendary UCLA 
basketball coach, who once said that John Stockton was the only NBA 
player he would pay money to see.
  Stockton retired in 2003 and returned home to Spokane. While other 
NBA greats have sought careers in broadcasting and coaching after their 
careers were over, so far, John has been content to stay at home with 
his family. This comes as no surprise to those who know him.
  Guiding John through most of his NBA career, was coach Jerry Sloan, 
who, once again, is also being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Sloan's 
careers as both a player and a coach have been characterized by his 
unyielding toughness and an unmatched drive to compete.
  Jerry was born and raised in McLeansboro, IL, and played his college 
career at the University of Evansville. He played one season in the NBA 
for the Baltimore Bullets before being selected by the Chicago Bulls in 
the expansion draft. In fact, he was the team's first player, earning 
him the nickname ``The Original Bull.'' Sloan quickly became known for 
his tenacity on defense, and he led the expansion team to the playoffs 
in its first season.
  He had an exceptional career as a player. He played in two All-Star 
Games, was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team four times and the 
All-Defensive Second Team twice. He also led the Bulls to the playoffs 
on various occasions and helped them to win the franchise's only 
division title prior to the Michael Jordan era. After his playing 
career was cut short by knee injuries, the Bulls retired Sloan's No. 4 
jersey, the first jersey retirement in the team's history.
  Immediately after his retirement, he became part of the Bull's 
coaching staff, starting out as a scout, eventually working his way up 
to head coach, a position he held for three seasons. A few years later, 
he joined the Jazz coaching staff as an assistant to another Utah 
sports icon, Frank Layden. In 1988, when Layden's health forced him to 
retire, Jerry was named head coach of the Jazz, a position he has held 
ever since.
  Coach Sloan just finished his 20th season as coach of the Jazz, a 
milestone that, in today's sports world, is almost unthinkable. Over 
the course of his Jazz tenure, literally hundreds of coaching changes 
have taken place throughout the NBA. In a league that has had a number 
of great coaches in its history, none have coached for the same team as 
long as Jerry Sloan.
  This extends to other sports as well. Currently, Sloan is the 
longest-tenured coach in any major professional sport.
  There are a number of reasons to explain his longevity. The most 
obvious is that he has been successful. He is currently fourth on the 
list for alltime coaching wins--though he holds the record for most 
wins with one team. In 17 out of the 20 seasons he's been in Utah, the 
Jazz have been in the playoffs, the only absences coming in 
transitional years after the departures of John Stockton and Karl 
Malone.
  Another reason Sloan has been able to stick around is his consistent, 
no-nonsense approach to the game. Over time, teams have changed 
strategies to become flashier in order to cater to younger fans and the 
new era of players, many of whom have been self-centered prima donnas. 
Throughout that time, Coach Sloan has been a model of consistency, 
placing premiums on discipline and hard work among his players. The 
result has been a franchise that, for over two decades, has competed at 
a high level.
  In many ways, Stockton and Sloan were alike, and their strengths 
complemented each other. Neither one will claim to have been able to be 
successful without the other.
  Currently, there is a huge statue of John Stockton in front of the 
Energy Solutions arena alongside a statue of Karl Malone. Chances are, 
in 20 or 30 years when Jerry Sloan finally decides to hang it up, they 
will want to build a monument to him as well. Neither of these 
gentlemen would actively seek such limelight, but few are as deserving.
  Once again, I would like to extend my congratulations to both John 
Stockton and Jerry Sloan for this great honor and to thank them for 
their contributions to the Utah community.

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