John Stockton and the Utah Jazz fought hard to try to extend the series in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. However, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ended up beating them to complete their second historic three-peat.
Losing to the Bulls in the back-to-back Finals was already frustrating enough and to be asked about Jordan’s retirement was the last thing Stockton wanted to talk about. However, the media still quizzed him for comments.
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Unsurprisingly, the veteran point guard reluctantly shared his opinion on the matter. For Stock, none of the Bulls’ Last Dance narrative made sense as he believed MJ wouldn’t retire yet.
“He’s not quitting,” Stockton said of Jordan at the time. “He’ll be back, and Scottie will be back and Phil Jackson will be back. I’m tired of hearing all of that.”
“As long as he decides to play, you have to wonder if there’s any reason for the rest of us to play. It’s not a matter of being disheartened, but you know that as long as he’s breathing, he will not let his team lose,” he explained.
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Stockton could’ve altered Jordan and the Bulls’ future
Apart from the buzz about Jordan’s retirement, the other thing that upset Stockton was the shot he missed in the final possession of the ball game. After MJ hit his iconic and controversial jump shot on Bryon Russell to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead, the Jazz still had the chance to score with just a little over five seconds left in the game clock.
Unfortunately, Stockton missed the 3-pointer and the Jazz ultimately lost. Speaking after the game, Stock couldn’t help but voice his disappointment knowing that it would have changed history and given the Jazz a fighting chance in Game 7.
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Instead, Utah found itself in the same exact scenario as last year. The Bulls closed the series out in six games once again and went on to win their sixth NBA championship.
“The last one, I had a good look at it,” Stockton said at the time. “I don’t think you ever hear anybody shoot the last shot and say they didn’t think it was in. I certainly did.”
“It’s an option. It doesn’t have to be where it comes from. I felt confident shooting it. I think most guys felt comfortable with the shot, although I didn’t ask them. I didn’t poll anybody. It just didn’t go in,” added Stock.
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It was really the Last Dance
Taking a quick trip down memory lane, it was widely known in the league that it was the Bulls’ Last Dance in the 1997-98 season. The team made it clear that they were moving on from longtime head coach Phil Jackson and were about to rebuild.
That’s where the drama emanated as Jordan refused to play for another coach and publicly stated that he would retire if the Bulls let go of Jackson. In the end, even though the Bulls had another successful championship run, they pushed through with their plan, resulting in the team’s core breaking up.
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The Bulls’ Last Dance season marked the end of an era in the NBA. However, stating the obvious, it was the least of Stockton’s concerns at the time.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.