February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great John Stockton is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz Icon John Stockton Names Surprising Favorite Place to Play

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 3:32 PM ET

Throughout his over 1,500 career games played with the Utah Jazz, Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton played in a fair share of arenas against the top talents in the world in his era, and made sure to make his mark as one of the best guards to ever play the sport.

But, when the question comes to Stockton's favorite place to take the floor on the road throughout his time in the league, what would the choice be?

If not in Salt Lake City in the Delta Center, Stockton had an interesting choice when asked for his thoughts on the question, labeling Portland as his favorite destination to play in his 19 years in the NBA.

"I actually enjoyed going to Portland," Stockton said during an interview on The Ultimate Assist. "I have friends there, we played there in college at the same building. It seemed like the fans there appreciated (good basketball). It wasn't just, 'Hey, we hate you because you're the other team.' There was an appreciation for good play, whether it was their team or your team. I guess there was something about it and was closer to home, too."

Instead of some of the bigger, nightlife-heavy cities around the league like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Miami, Stockton preferred the lowkey lifestyle of Portland– a close-to-home, smaller-scale spot that has some different qualities to offer.

It wasn't just a familiar place for the Washington state native, considering Oregon is right down the road from his hometown in Spokane. But, also, when it comes to the energy in the building when playing in front of Portland Trail Blazers fans, they were seemingly unmatched in Stockton's eyes.

Portland's long been a home to a franchise in the Blazers that has had a strong history, whether it centers upon their Clyde Drexler era in the 1980s and 90s, when facing Stockton and Karl Malone, their modern bright spots within the Damian Lillard timeframe, or their 1977 NBA Finals win led by the great Bill Walton, it's easy to see how this is a fanbase that appreciates a bit of good basketball.

During Stockton's time facing Portland, he had 78 games played to average 13.3 points, 10.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. His best game ever might've just come during the 1988 season, when the Jazz guard led the way with 25 points, a staggering 18 assists, and four steals in what was a 129-122 win for Utah.

Salt Lake City was (and still is) home to one of the best places to play in the entire league in front of a raging Jazz crowd, but Stockton sees Portland with the qualities of perhaps the second-best destination to take the floor in the NBA.