While it should come as no surprise that a 59-year-old white guy who spent almost his entire adult life living in Salt Lake City, Utah, is vehemently opposed to anything involving the COVID-19 vaccine or any related mandates, I still can’t believe how much of a raging lunatic NBA legend John Stockton actually is.
The Hall of Fame point guard, who’s evolved into some twisted amalgamation of unvaccinated liar Aaron Rodgers and Ivermectin brand ambassador Joe Rogan since retiring from the NBA in 2003, now moonlights as a freelance disinformation strategist who spews imbecilic rhetoric like this:
“I think it’s highly recorded now, there’s 150 I believe now, it’s over 100 professional athletes dead—professional athletes–the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court.”
This, of course, is complete bullshit. But sadly, his reign of deluded terror didn’t stop there. Last summer, the 10-time NBA All-Star appeared in the anti-vaxx shitshow, Vaxxed, and dropped the following bars:
“This isn’t a virus cheating us of this opportunity. It’s the guys making decisions saying, ‘No, no we’re too scared. We’re going to shut everything down. Sit in your house and be careful.’ My kids and grandkids hearing these things and accepting them as truth when I know by my significant amount of research that it isn’t, it’s very frustrating.”
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you lick batteries as a child.
But don’t take that from me, take it from fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who isn’t particularly fond of Stockton’s parade of lunacy—which also includes recently getting his season tickets to Gonzaga games suspended over his refusal to wear a damn mask—either.
“I think statements like that make the public look upon athletes basically as dumb jocks, for trying to explain away something that is obviously a pandemic,” the legendary center explained during a recent appearance on CNN. “It doesn’t make sense what he’s saying. This is a preventative measure that has been useful in many different circumstances. I don’t understand anyone saying anything else.”
He continued, “I think John’s reaction to the vaccine is extreme and not based on reality or facts. If John could just check the facts out he would understand that this vaccine is saving lives and preventing people from having serious reactions to the virus.”
Pretty much.
Count former Seattle Supersonics forward Detlef Schrempf—yes, Seattle used to have an NBA team, dammit—among Stockton’s laundry list of detractors.
“Bat shit crazy,” he tweeted. “I am so disappointed we have so many role models not up to the task. This is not helping!”
It’s really not.
But thankfully, we have people like Abdul-Jabbar who are more than willing to counter the dangerous repercussions (just ask Meat Loaf) of Stockton’s anti-vaxx gospel.