Retired 10-time NBA all-star point guard John Stockton made a rare public political endorsement Tuesday, joining "Jesse Watters Primetime" to throw his support behind Democrat-turned-independent 2024 candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Stockton, who played for the Utah Jazz for nearly two decades, said Kennedy's candidacy presents a unique opportunity to support a unifying platform and message at the presidential level.
"It's a rare opportunity to have a candidate like him available in the first place, but never has it been more important," he said.
"I mean, we're more divided than ever. We've been more distrustful of government than ever. We've had more things jammed down our throats that aren't even legal than has ever happened maybe in the history of our country."
RFK, JR: DEMS HAVE BECOME THE PARTY OF WAR
In contrast, Stockton said, Kennedy is a "warrior in all categories" who fights for personal freedoms, and is typically the "most intelligent person in the room."
He said every time he watches Kennedy on the stump, he appears more and more "presidential" and connected with the subjects he's discussing and people he's interacting with.
"If you ever have a chance to hear him speak, I highly recommend it, because you can be a doubter, and then you hear him speak and you say, 'Wow, there's something to that man,'" Stockton said.
Stockton noted he typically keeps his political views to himself despite his athletic celebrity, but said Kennedy is deserving of his nod.
RFK, JR AGAIN CHALLENGES BIDEN TO DEBATE
"I've always tried to keep my voting private, and I probably try to keep it pretty balanced historically, but again, this is a rare opportunity."
The former Jazz star added that Kennedy's X, formerly known as Twitter, videos of himself doing calisthenics are also a plus, quipping that keeping body and mind strong is important for any president.
Host Jesse Watters also highlighted recent polling showing Kennedy pulling votes from both President Biden and former President Donald Trump — including a Harvard-Harris survey showing Trump at 44%, Biden at 36% and Kennedy at 21%.
Watters said no third-party candidate has ever been that much of a statistical threat since populist Texas tech tycoon Ross Perot was accused of playing spoiler in 1992 when incumbent President George H. W. Bush lost re-election to then-former Arkansas Democratic Gov. Bill Clinton.
Third-party candidates like Perot and Kennedy have given major candidates runs for their money every few elections — including former segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace running on the American Independent Party ticket in 1968, Republican-turned-Progressive ex-President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and the four-way 1824 contest that required the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election ultimately won by Andrew Jackson.
