“John proceeded to wipe the floor with me” – Steve Kerr once shared how John Stockton ruined his chances of going to Gonzaga – Basketball Network

Steve Kerr, John Stockton

© Malcolm Emmons, RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Kerr won five championships as a player. John Stockton and the Utah Jazz nearly played spoilers for two of those, but Michael Jordan just wouldn’t be denied. If that happened, though, then it wouldn’t have been the first time for Stockton to rain on Kerr’s parade.

The Golden State Warriors coach once appeared on an episode of the “Scorebook Live Today” podcast hosted by Gonzaga University alum Dan Dickau. There, he shared how Stockton denied him a scholarship offer from Gonzaga because of a pickup game.

Getting stuffed by Stock

Kerr has not received offers from college basketball programs in the middle of his senior year in high school. So, imagine his delight when Gonzaga contacted him and invited him for a tryout. When he arrived on campus, the coaching staff had him participate in a pickup game that included Gonzaga legend Stockton. What happened next was exactly what you can imagine.

Scroll to Continue

“John proceeded to wipe the floor with me,” Kerr said. “I mean, he stole the ball from me, he scored on me, and it was a total embarrassment. And again, they basically took me into the office, and he said, ‘You know, we’re, we’re going to go in a different direction.’ So I always blamed John Stockton for ruining my future at Gonzaga.”

While the sharpshooter finds the story funny now, he might have felt differently back then. After all, he was barely recruited out of high school.

Becoming a Wildcat

Fortunately, things turned out quite well for Kerr. Instead of Gonzaga, he went to the University of Arizona, where he became a legend. The point guard helped the Wildcats reach their first-ever NCAA Final Four in 1988.

During that season, Kerr had an outstanding year, registering one of the most efficient campaigns in NCAA history.

His tenure at Arizona kickstarted the 6-foot-3 guard’s successful NBA career. Although Kerr had an unexceptional first few seasons in the league, his fortunes changed when he made his way to Chicago in 1993. He eventually won three titles with the Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs.

Kerr also had a measure of revenge against Stockton when he hit a clutch shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals that allowed the Bulls to defeat the Jazz.