Jan 23, 2022 - Sports

Gonzaga University revokes NBA great John Stockton's tickets over mask stance

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Former Utah Jazz player John Stockton during a press conference on March 22, 2017 a in Salt Lake City, Utah. — Former Utah Jazz player John Stockton during a 2017 press conference in Salt Lake City. Photo: Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Gonzaga University suspended the season tickets of alumni John Stockton after the NBA Hall of Famer failed to comply with the school's basketball games mask mandate, the Spokesman-Review first reported.

Driving the news: "Basically, it came down to, they were asking me to wear a mask to the games and being a public figure, someone a little bit more visible, I stuck out in the crowd a little bit," the former Utah Jazz point guard told the outlet in an interview Saturday.

"And therefore they received complaints and felt like from whatever the higher-ups — those weren't discussed, but from whatever it was higher up — they were going to have to either ask me to wear a mask or they were going to suspend my tickets."

The big picture: Stockton has previously spoken out against pandemic measures including mask mandates and lockdowns.

He recently appeared in a documentary featuring commentators "known for spreading" pandemic misinformation, CNN notes.

What they're saying: Gonzaga University has not directly commented on the cancellation of Stockton's season tickets. But the school based in Spokane, Washington, said in a statement to news outlets: "Attendees at basketball games are required to wear face masks at all times."

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Gonzaga University revokes NBA great John Stockton's tickets over mask stance

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