This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

One summer during his Hall of Fame career, John Stockton bought a ticket to a baseball game. The legendary Jazz point guard won't say who it was, but there was one player in particular he was going to see. Turns out, on that particular day, the guy sat out, didn't play, rested.

"I was incensed," Stockton recalled. "And I've never rooted or really particularly cared for that guy since."

Stockton played the full 82 games in 16 of his 19 seasons as a pro. So while the debate over NBA teams resting their players rages on, Stockton isn't about to give today's stars a pass.

"Fair or unfair, it's just what I believe in," he said this week. "People pay to see their favorites. People pay to see guys. They pay to have the best competition you can put on the court on a given night.

"If you're hurt, that's one thing. Anything short of that — you can say science, you can say championships, you can say whatever. I think we have a duty to be present and lay our best out there every night."

— Aaron Falk

afalk@sltrib.com

Twitter: @aaronfalk