The U.S. Supreme Court this week denied Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton’s petition for review of a First Amendment case he and others brought against Washington state officials for instituting disciplinary proceedings against medical doctors who presented alternative viewpoints—dubbed “dangerous information” by state officials—about COVID-19 and its vaccines.
Stockton, 64, played 19 seasons in the NBA, his entire career spent with the Utah Jazz. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in both assists and steals and was a 10-time All-Star. Stockton, who formed a formidable tandem with fellow Jazz superstar Karl Malone, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
In recent years, Stockton’s public persona has been shaped less by basketball and more by advocacy of controversial positions. He co-hosts a podcast, The Ultimate Assist, with Dr. Ken Ruettgers, in which they discuss medical views and personal liberty.
Stockton is a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccines, asserting they are unsafe and ineffective, even though the Centers for Disease Control says hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. have safely received the vaccinations, and studies have shown as many as 19.8 million deaths were prevented worldwide by the vaccine in the first year of use. He also was opposed to mask policies during the pandemic, so much so that his alma mater, Gonzaga University, suspended his basketball season tickets in 2022 because of his refusal to wear a mask.
