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JGKoblenz · 04-06-2004, 05:30 PM

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All-time NBA assist leader John Stockton returned to the Delta Center for the first time since his retirement gala last summer.
He did not want to talk about his new life in Spokane.
He did not want to talk about about the standing ovation he received when introduced to the sellout crowd of 19,911 with 8:58 left in the Utah's critically important game against Memphis.
He did not want to talk about much of anything, except the grittiness which keyed the Jazz's 92-81 victory -- a win that kept them in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoff race.
"I'm extremely excited to see the team playing so well," Stockton said, about an hour after the Jazz finished off the Grizzlies. "I am really rooting for them to get to the playoffs."
Like almost everyone, Stockton wondered how his retirement -- along with Karl Malone's departure -- would impact the Jazz.
But so far, so good.
"A lot of people didn't think they would win 15 games," Stockton said. "But here they are vying for the playoffs. There's a toughness there, that's all you can say. Let's just hope they keep showing it here at crunch time."
According to Jazz owner Larry Miller, Stockton visited coach Jerry Sloan's wife, Bobbye, before getting to the arena about 4:30 p.m. He met with the coaches before the game and, afterward, he talked to Miller and some of the players.
Stockton watched the game from the front row of a suite in the northwest corner of the Delta Center. When public address announcer Dan Roberts introduced him during a timeout and he was pictured on the Jumbotron screen, Stockton smiled and waved.

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Starks · 04-06-2004, 05:53 PM

Very cool! I know the fans and the team appreciated him coming to the game. I didn't expect him to go to a game so soon though.

JGKoblenz · 04-06-2004, 05:57 PM

Yeah, when players retire they seem to need a good amount of time without any kind of basketball.

"I'm extremely excited to see the team playing so well," Stockton said, about an hour after the Jazz finished off the Grizzlies. "I am really rooting for them to get to the playoffs."

Stockton looks really excited with this team.

**whiterhino** · 04-06-2004, 07:10 PM

Nice support from John, he is definately a class act and always was...great to see him again

freakofnature · 04-07-2004, 11:41 PM

"I am really rooting for them to get to the playoffs."

Well, I think that he would...

Stockton is my favorite athlete of all time and is the reason I got into basketball. A week after he retired, I got my screename on AOL. So what else would I have used, but Stokton12

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