(ThyBlackMan.com) The beginning of 2020 got off to an emotional start with the passing of longtime former NBA commissioner David Stern. Stern died at age 77 on January 1, 2020 from a brain hemorrhage. He was the NBA commissioner for 30 years, which was the longest term by an NBA commissioner in history and he tied former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle for the longest term by a commissioner in NBA, NFL, NHL, or Major League Baseball history. Stern was a major reason for the success of the NBA for those three decades including the transition from the Bird and Magic rivalry of the Celtics and Lakers, to the Jordan era, Shaq and Kobe, and the LeBron James phenomenon. He had the challenge of making a predominantly black league appealing to white audiences despite racist and subtle stereotypes of black athletes at the time that even persist today.
David Stern also deserves some criticism for perhaps listening to those who criticized the league’s “image” when he enforced a new NBA player dress code deemed as criticizing the hip-hop culture during the 2000s. There also were some bad labor moments that Stern was in the middle of during his tenure. Stern was definitely viewed as more unrelenting and unflinching when it came to disciplining NBA players as well but he definitely had his hands full with instances like the “Malice In The Palace” in 2004, when NBA players and fans fought near the end of an Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons game.
Ultimately, the NBA’s growth financially and globally can be tied to David Stern as the “Dream Team” of the 1992 Summer Olympics is viewed as a big catalyst for the improvement of international basketball across the world after Michael Jordan and company embarassed the international competition when NBA players were permitted to play in the Olympics for the first time. Despite not being the NBA commissioner, Stern’s impact can be felt all over the 2018-19 NBA season with the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, an expansion team that started during Stern’s tenure, and several major NBA award winners were international players including the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Not surprisingly, there were reactions throughout the NBA community to Stern’s death. Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, “For 22 years, I had a courtside seat to watch David in action. He was a mentor and one of my dearest friends. We spent countless hours in the office, at arenas and on planes wherever the game would take us. Like every NBA legend, David had extraordinary talents, but with him it was always about the fundamentals – preparation, attention to detail, and hard work.”
Silver also noted, “David took over the NBA in 1984 with the league at a crossroads. But over the course of 30 years as Commissioner, he ushered in the modern global NBA. He launched groundbreaking media and marketing partnerships, digital assets and social responsibility programs that have brought the game to billions of people around the world. Because of David, the NBA is a truly global brand – making him not only one of the greatest sports commissioners of all time but also one of the most influential business leaders of his generation.” Among other statements, Michael Jordan mentioned that, “Without David Stern, the NBA would not be what it is today.” Magic Johnson tweeted, “David Stern was such a history maker. When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world.” Basketball icon Bill Russell also tweeted, “I can not put into words what the friendship of David Stern has meant to me but many others. He changed so many lives. David was a great innovator and made the game we love what it is today. This is a horrible loss. Our hearts are with Dianne & their family. RIP my friend.” It is clear by the reactions of the basketball community that David Stern forever changed the NBA.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
