Another one of those moments John Stockton dreads, when everybody makes a public fuss over him individually, comes up two months from today.
The Utah Jazz have chosen Nov. 22 to retire Stockton's No. 12 jersey and raise it to the rafters along with those of Pete Maravich, Mark Eaton, Jeff Hornacek, Darrell Griffith and former coach/GM/president Frank Layden.
"Oh, I think he'll show up, but it will be tough for him, I think, because he's not into that sort of stuff," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who became Layden's assistant coach about four months after Stockton was taken by Utah with the 16th pick of the 1984 NBA Draft.
Four years later, Sloan was head coach, and Stockton was an NBA all-star well on the way to becoming the all-time league leader in assists (15,806) and steals (3,265), being named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and making the original Olympic gold-medal-winning "Dream Team" in 1992.
"John never played basketball for individual awards or accolades," added Sloan. "He played basketball because he enjoyed it and loved playing. That's (the number-retirement ceremony) just part of what's going to happen because of the way he did play."
The Jazz made the NBA playoffs in every season that Stockton was on the roster.
Sloan has admiration for Stockton that extends well beyond the team. "He's just a wonderful guy, a family man," he said. "If you drew up a plan for a guy to be, I think he'd have to be one that you'd put at the top."
Added Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, "We are excited to honor John in this special way. After spending his entire 19-year career with the franchise, John's incredible athleticism deserves to be memorialized. We look forward to hosting him and his family on Nov. 22. The evening will certainly be memorable."
Stockton retired following the 2002-03 season, after 1,504 games in a Jazz uniform, telling Sloan and Miller during his postseason "exit" meeting on locker cleanout day but not informing players, not even 18-year teammate Karl Malone, who was shocked to hear the news second-hand.
He did tell reporters, "I think I'm finished," but never said the "R" word. Someone asked what he'd miss most, and he bolted before much emotion could show, blurting, "I don't know. That's good. Thanks," as he walked out of their lives.
Since May 2, 2003, Stockton has moved his wife, Nada, and six children home to Spokane and spent his time mostly with them and in building and maintaining a public youth recreation facility with five basketball courts, including the old Salt Palace Jazz floor, and batting cages and volleyball courts.
Gonzaga University, his alma mater and almost across the street from where he grew up and still resides, retired his number in February. He attended that ceremony but remains mostly elusive to the spotlight.
Sloan has spoken with Stockton many times since the June 8 public retirement party at the Delta Center, and he said Monday that Stockton is just as true to himself as ever, never asking Sloan about Jazz games. "No, he doesn't watch it," Sloan said. "He's got six kids he watches. He checks the scores out, I think, once in awhile, but I don't think he's looking to see what guys are doing.
"He just wants the Jazz to win."
Sloan sees no retirement remorse 16 months later from his former player, always known as a gym rat. "That's the thing about him. He played basketball, and when basketball was over, I think he thought about it — but he's tremendous with his family and has a wonderful time with them," Sloan said.
"I think he's tremendously excited about having the opportunity to be with them every minute, watch everything they do, from a sports standpoint and from a school standpoint.
"He played, had fun and went home and did the right thing with his family," Sloan said.
And that's how most Utahns like to remember the man who doesn't like to sign autographs and refused to show weakness on the court, even when injured. He played in every game in 17 of his 19 seasons.
The number-retirement ceremony gives fans another chance to pay tribute to Stockton.
Tickets for the Nov. 22 game against the New Orleans Hornets will go on sale on Saturday, Oct. 16, at all Jazz ticket outlets including the Delta Center box office and utahjazz.com.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com