Gary Payton Says John Stockton Tougher To Guard Than Michael Jordan, LeBron

It wasn’t Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or perhaps LeBron James … no, the most difficult individual Gary Payton stated he ever needed to guard was none aside from John Stockton.

The NBA Hall of Famer made the stunning discovery in a chat about hoops with TMZ Sports … stating the previous Utah Jazz point player was simply that damn excellent.

“I think the hardest person I ever had to guard was John Stockton because of the way he would do 94 feet and go everywhere,” he stated. “That’s my opinion.”

‘Stock’, a 10-time All-Star who played 19 seasons in the NBA, was 6-foot-1, however ‘The Glove’ informed us John’s capability to make use of all the area on the court offensively made him an extremely challenging cover.

And, when Payton stated he compared it to the difficulty he had with MJ, LeBron and Kobe … Stockton was simply more difficult to handle.

As for basketball’s G.O.A.T. argument … Payton weighed in on that too, informing us that while he thinks LBJ is the much better basketball gamer, Jordan was the much better more detailed.

“I think LeBron was a better all-around player because he can pass the ball and rebound,” Payton stated. “I think Michael was a better killer. He’ll go after you. He’ll take a shot whenever he needed to and make it and do it. He was more of a killer.”