Utah Jazz legend John Stockton, whose name has reappeared in headlines in recent years for wading into controversy, is offering his support to a 2024 presidential candidate.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Stockton said he is backing independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president because “I believe he’s been put on this planet for just this moment in time.”
“There’s a real need for him and his leadership, there’s a need for very smart people in these positions that have integrity that [is] off the charts, that have the stamina and strength to be able to speak and be a leader 24/7,” Stockton told the conservative media outlet.
Kennedy is known for amplifying misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines — a practice for which Stockton has also come under fire.
The Hall of Famer and the son of late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy co-starred in an anti-vaccine documentary contradicting scientific facts, and Stockton’s basketball season tickets at his alma mater, Gonzaga University, were suspended in 2022 when he refused to wear a mask.
The former NBA player also drew attention last year when he wrote a letter to a federal judge supporting a Kaysville woman charged with Jan 6. storming the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Janet Buhler, the wife of a previous Jazz chiropractor, traveled to Washington, D.C., to rally behind former President Donald Trump, who is now facing charges himself for seeking to overturn the election.
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