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Top Moments: Routine pass ushers John Stockton into NBA's history book

John Stockton's pass to Karl Malone for a jumper in a 1995 game gives him the all-time assists record.

On Feb. 1, 1995, John Stockton delivered a bounce pass to Karl Malone for career dime No. 9,221.

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As had happened so many times before, Karl Malone made his way to the post, received a crisp bounce pass from Utah Jazz teammate John Stockton and hit an 18-foot jump shot from the corner during the second quarter against Denver on Feb. 1, 1995.

Although the play appeared nothing out of the ordinary for these two perennial All-Stars, it was, in fact, a record-setting moment. The assist that Stockton picked up on the play gave him 9,922 for his career, moving him past Magic Johnson and into the books as the NBA’s all-time leader in assists.

After the historic play was completed, the crowd of 19,911 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City stood in unison and roared its approval for several minutes.

“My teammates were going to make sure the record happened,” Stockton said, typically sharing the credit. “There were just some unbelievable shots that I won’t soon forget.”

As for the record-setting assists, Stockton said, “He (Malone) has been responsible for so many of them, it does seem fitting.”

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