Hall of Famer John Stockton has once again made headlines by linking COVID-19 vaccines to sudden deaths among athletes.
In a recent interview on The Maverick Approach, the longtime Utah Jazz guard alleged that “mainstream media” has failed to report what he describes as a crisis. Stockton said thousands of athletes collapsed or died after vaccination, a claim that has been repeatedly disputed by health officials.
“Well, yeah. I mean, first of all—mainstream media—I mean, that’s why your stuff’s so valuable, what you’re doing. You can’t get the truth from mainstream media,” Stockton said, via HoopsHype. “They’re still saying the vaccines are safe. They’re still saying they’re effective. They’re saying that—safe and effective. I mean, we have 2,000 athletes dropping dead on a field. I mean, how much more proof do you need?”
Stockton insisted that he had collected obituaries and reports of deceased athletes to support his case. He referenced financial analyst Ed Dowd’s book Cause Unknown, which explores sudden deaths in young and otherwise healthy people following the vaccine rollout.
Dowd’s work draws on insurance data, government reports, and disability claims. He argues that mortality among working-age adults spiked in late 2021, coinciding with widespread vaccine mandates. His firm, Phinance Technologies, has highlighted what he calls “excess death patterns” that require further study.
Research cited by Dowd indicates that U.S. deaths among ages 15–64 jumped by 73% from 2020 to 2021, even as COVID cases declined. He attributes much of that increase to vaccine injuries.
Other analysts, including Nicolas Hulscher of the McCullough Foundation, argue that vaccine-linked fatalities could reach into the millions worldwide. Studies by Rancourt, Skidmore, and Pantazatos & Seligmann estimate hundreds of thousands of possible vaccine-related U.S. deaths.
Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals, has been outspoken against vaccine mandates since 2021, when he lost his season tickets at Gonzaga games over refusal to comply with campus health policies.
