Stockton going strong at 41

SALT LAKE CITY -- John Stockton is adding another number to his record-setting career: birthday No. 41.

Still, this middle-aged NBA phenom shows no signs of slowing down. He'll mark the occasion today the only way he knows how -- by playing basketball.

His Utah Jazz host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, giving Stockton yet another chance to pad his league records for career assists and steals.

"I love to play," he said, "and if it wasn't here, it'd be on the driveway with the kids."

Just the seventh player his age in league history, Stockton hasn't decided whether he'll return for a 20th season. He said he'll make up his mind shortly after this season ends.

Staying above .500

Stockton had 17 points and seven assists in Monday night's 96-91 win over Boston, which left the Jazz (41-29) sixth in the Western Conference. The team is assured of at least a .500 record; it never has had a losing mark since Stockton arrived.

The team isn't planning any birthday hoopla today, which suits the stoic Stockton just fine. He's content to keep dishing out assists, letting everybody else worry about his age and when his career will end.

"There's some days when nothing seems to work for us, and then you wonder. And then there's days where we seem to play really well and we feel great about it," Stockton said. "If I wasn't 41, I don't think we'd be having this discussion."

Former Knicks center Herb Williams, who retired in 1999, was the league's last 41-year-old player. Others include career scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played until he was 42, and Robert Parish, who was 43 when he retired in 1997.

Stockton, a father of six, is fit and probably could handle another year in the NBA. But his family could sway the decision.

"Our house is a madhouse, with all the activities going on. That makes it difficult to devote your whole day and concentrate strictly on the game," he said. "When you get to the game and get to the arena, that's when the preparation starts now -- as opposed to years ago."

A familiar look

He doesn't look very different from the kid who came out of Gonzaga in 1984. The hairstyle is about the same, albeit with touches of gray. His uniform shorts are still a few inches shorter than his teammates'.

Stockton's statistics are slightly off this season, but nothing to be ashamed of. He's fourth on the Jazz in scoring at 11.1 points per game, two below his career average. His 7.6-assist average is fifth in the league.

And though his 6-foot-1 frame prevents him from low-post play, he can slip through traffic and hit a reverse layup, or catch defenders napping with a no-look pass.

"There's still something to be said about playing basketball with something more than a dunk shot," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "Athletically, he's not going to jump over anybody."