Stockton's advice to his son

In the Department of Now You Know comes this story, compliments of Michael Stockton, son of John.

While being recruited in high school, former Bulls guard Steve Kerr took a trip to Gonzaga. While there, he saw John Stockton play. Upon returning home, he said he “saw a guy up at Gonzaga who is the fastest white guy I’ve ever seen.”

But Kerr wanted to play right away and, well, the Zags already had a point guard.

Had Kerr played at Gonzaga, the Bulldogs would have had both Kerr and Stockton on the same team in 1983-84. As it turned out, they went head-to-head against one another in the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.

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Michael Stockton is a blend of humor, humility and confidence. He noted on Tuesday after his workout with the Jazz that he is the same size as his father was at that age. (Actually, they couldn’t be far apart even now.

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MICHAEL STOCKTON

“(Former Jazz) Coach Tom Nissalke said, ‘You’re the spitting image of your dad when he was your age,’” said the younger Stockton, “and I said, ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance. So I appreciate that.’”

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What advice did John Stockton give his son prior to the workout?

“Same as always, just last night he told me to make sure to go and compete, don’t be afraid, you can compete with anybody.”