“He’d pull you, elbow you, knee you” – Gilbert Arenas SLAMS 1992 Dream Team superstar for being DIRTIEST PLAYER in NBA

Gilbert Arenas said John Stockton to be the dirtiest player he had faced.

“He’d pull you, elbow you, knee you” – Gilbert Arenas SLAMS 1992 Dream Team superstar for being DIRTIEST PLAYER in NBA

L- Gilbert Arenas (Via Getty) and R- John Stockton (Via NBA.com)

John Stockton, the legendary point guard of the 1992 USA Dream Team and the Utah Jazz Hall-Of-Famer, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. But not everyone is a fan of his style of play. Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA All-Star and scoring champion, recently revealed that Stockton was the dirtiest player he ever faced.

Believe it or not, John Stockton (was the dirtiest player). My first two years, I’m like, ‘Yo, this dude is just a dirty player, bro’. He’s just dirty like, he’d pull you, elbow you, knee you, he’d do all of that. He did all of that. I’m glad I didn’t play in the 80s. This is not basketball right here.
Gilbert Arenas on Stockton.
YouTube video

However, it is essential to note that Stockton played in the era of peak physical defense, where fouls were not handed like today. A good example would be the Detroit “Bad Boys” Pistons, who won the NBA Championship by being physical and injuring players.

Stockton was also an undersized point guard and was known for his skills and tactics to win games. Arena’s comment can also boil down to the fact that the two played against each other at a very different stage in their careers, with an aging Stockton having to resort to cheap tricks to gain advantages.

FS Video

40-years-old John Stockton once COOKED Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas was a scoring machine in his prime, but he had a tough time against one of the NBA’s all-time legends: John Stockton. Arenas recently said he could dominate Stockton in a matchup, but the stats tell a different story.

Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas (Image via Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)

In a regular season game in 2002, an aging Stockton once went for 26 points and four steals while fouling Arenas out of the game. They have faced off against each other in seven games. Although all games were regular season games, the records showed that Stockton has Arena’s number.

In seven meetings between the two, Arenas won only two contests with an average of only 16 points per game. The Utah Jazz, led by Stockton, beat the Arena’s Wizards five times, with the then 40-year-old even recording a 15-assist game at one point.

Arenas might have claimed Stockton to be a dirty and sneaky player, but the Jazz guard was one of the best to do it. The Jazz Hall Of Famer is the leader in the NBA’s All-Time Steals leaderboard, and players should better respect the STOCK.

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