Former Utah Jazz center Olden Polynice, who once shared the court with Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, recently sparked conversation by naming his top five greatest players in NBA history — a list that notably does not include Michael Jordan.
Polynice stunned listeners of The Odd Couple podcast when he unveiled his all-time starting five and boldly included Stockton among the elite. Polynice leaned into a different philosophy: longevity, all-time records, and statistical dominance.
“It’s Magic and Bird — they go hand in hand,” Polynice said. “So for me, I’ve got Stockton in my top five, because I know what my criteria are. I’ve got Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar too.” His approach quickly drew attention for its old-school rationale and the deliberate exclusion of both LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Polynice made it clear that leaving out two of the game’s most celebrated icons wasn’t a knock on their greatness, but a reflection of his personal definition of legacy. “I use facts, not fiction,” he said. “Stockton holds two records that will never be broken. People who do things like that have to be revered. Come on, man. You’ve got to look at it in its totality. You all are focused on highlights, who made the flashiest plays — but that’s not the point. It’s the totality of everything.”
Olden Polynice #0 of the Utah Jazz celebrates during the NBA Western Conference Playoffs Round One Game against the Seattle SuperSonics
What records is Polynice referring to?
Stockton’s career marks for assists and steals remain untouched — and may never be surpassed. The Jazz legend dished out 15,806 assists and racked up 3,265 steals over a 19-year career spent entirely in Utah. Both records stand miles ahead of the nearest challengers and have become a cornerstone of Stockton’s Hall of Fame résumé.
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Olden Polynice’s NBA journey
Olden Polynice, a 6-foot-11 center born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, carved out a 15-year NBA career as a tough, physical presence in the paint. After moving to New York, he starred at All Hallows High School before committing to the University of Virginia, where he helped lead the Cavaliers to the 1984 Final Four and earned First Team All-ACC honors in 1986.
Polynice was selected eighth overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in the deal that sent Scottie Pippen to Chicago. He spent his early years in Seattle before landing with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he had his most productive season in 1990–91, averaging 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds.
He later played valuable minutes for the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings, establishing himself as a rebounding specialist and dependable interior defender. In Detroit, he averaged 7.3 points and 6.2 rebounds during the 1992–93 season before anchoring Sacramento’s frontcourt for five seasons.
Polynice returned to Utah in 1999, replacing Greg Ostertag as the starting center during the 1999–2000 season. He contributed 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while helping the Jazz to a 55–27 record and a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. He later had brief second stints with both the SuperSonics and Clippers before retiring in 2004. He finished his career with 8,265 points and 7,110 rebounds across 1,058 games, averaging 7.8 points and 6.7 boards per contest.
