To the 2nd round/Elite 8 we go! This Provo Regional final pits two of the most dominant players of the 90's. The winner of this short shorts duel will advance with a coveted spot in the Final 4 which will be hosted by the beautiful city of Farmer City, Illinois. Just like the 1st round, votes should be based off of ability to play fundamentally sound basketball, goofiness, upside, and most importantly, token white boy swag. A poll will open up on the right hand column for the next seven days. At the end of the week, the player with more votes obviously moves one step closer to the title.
John Stockton
(click name for highlight video)
College: Gonzaga
Years in League: 1984-2003
Teams: Jazz
Playing his career right around the time that NBA execs realized that they were better off signing athletic black guys, Stockton made a statement to the league that white men were here to stay, thus becoming the godfather of white men in the league. He played his entire career in Utah, and is worshiped all over the state. Visitors can check out his statue in front of Energy Solutions Arena while driving on John Stockton Drive. His
pick and rolls with Karl Malone (and occasionally Greg Ostertag) became the essence of fundamentally sound basketball. He also repped Team USA by winning two gold medals for the greatest country ever. Not only was Stockton one of the greatest basketball players ever, but he was arguably the whitest. In the early 90s, Michigan's Fab Five revolutionized the basketball world with their long, baggy shorts. This quickly caught on, and by the middle of the decade, just about everyone in the NBA was wearing them. Not John Stockton. Stockton pulled the ultimate white boy swag move by rocking short shorts long after everyone else went baggy. He was dominating opponents with fundamentally sound basketball while wearing short shorts in the middle of Mormon country. Not sure how you get more white than that.
St. John's
Straight out of Brooklyn, no I'm serious, Chris Mullin was one of the most dominant players in the league when he stepped on the court. After winning the Big East player of the year award 3 straight years at St. Johnny's, Mullin took the league by (red) storm with his pure left-handed stroke. As if his flat-top wasn't enough to elevate him to ultimate bro status, Chris also battled through alcoholism in the early stages of his NBA career. Meanwhile, he won two gold medals for the US of A, including 1992 on the dream team, and along with Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond he made the Golden State Warriors a relevant squad. Fittingly, Mullin spent the latter portion of his career as an Indiana Pacer where he continued to overcome his obvious lack of speed with hustle and above all else, white boy swaggin. Bottom line, whether it was the bottom of the bottle or the bottom of the net, Chris Mullin did work.
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