John Stockton said it's frustrating that the Jazz have decided to go all-in on tanking: "I know that there doesn't seem to be a mission to win"

John Stockton said it’s frustrating that the Jazz have decided to go all-in on tanking: “I know that there doesn’t seem to be a mission to win” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

In February 2025, Hall of Famer John Stockton spoke on “The Ultimate Assist” podcast as his former team, the Utah Jazz, sat at a dismal 13-41 record.

With the season effectively lost, a league-worst finish — which is exactly what happened — seemed inevitable. Yet for some fans, the collapse wasn’t entirely negative, as it improved the franchise’s chances of landing a high pick in the next draft lottery.

This tanking approach — or at least what many suspect is happening in Salt Lake City — has divided fans, and in the candid interview with Cait Nielson, Stockton shared his perspective on it.

From glory to gloom

Stock, who retired in 2003, is a legendary figure for the Jazz, once anchoring one of the franchise’s most dominant eras. Today, however, he is witnessing one of the bleakest stretches in team history.

The contrast is truly striking. Over the past three regular seasons — coinciding with the departures of former stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert — Utah has posted a combined 85-161 record, translating to a .345 win-loss percentage.

Now rewind to the Jazz’s glory days – led by the dominant duo of Stockton and Karl Malone — in the mid-to late 1990s. In the final five years of that decade, the team from Salt Lake City went 333-127, an astonishing .724 win-loss percentage.

You might think the current Jazz in the next few years could narrow that gap, or at least improve somewhat, but John isn’t convinced. The reason? Instead of giving their all and still losing, he believes the team is following a direction that doesn’t exactly scream competitiveness.

“I know that there doesn’t seem to be a mission to win, and if that’s true, that’s frustrating,” remarked the 10-time All-Star and nine-time assists leader.

Tanking debate

Tanking comes with both pros and cons. Stockton, a point guard icon, addressed the latter, drawing from his own experience.

“I think that (tanking) culture is so hard to come by. I knew how hard it was for the Utah Jazz to become a winning organization to begin with, and I came in on the tail end of that and got to build from that with my teammates. But I wouldn’t give up the fight, you know, that fight to try to win every single game, every single quarter, for anything — for draft choices, for the future, anything — because the future moves,” said the 63-year-old.

While John has a point, some organizations have thrived using that approach. Take, for instance, the Oklahoma City Thunder: after trading their star players a few years back, they endured tough seasons while developing rare talent.

At one point, they were even called the “black hole of the league,” but OKC turned it around. Stacked with draft picks and trade assets, they reached this year’s NBA Finals, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

There are many keys to success in a rebuild, and one of them is having leadership that instills a winning mindset even while losing. The Thunder certainly had that edge.

It will be interesting to see whether the Jazz, with a mix of talent and veteran players on their 2025–26 roster, can follow a similar path.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.

John Stockton said it’s frustrating that the Jazz have decided to go all-in on tanking: “I know that there doesn’t seem to be a mission to win”

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