David Stern, the former Commissioner of the NBA, died on Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage three weeks ago. Stern was the most successful Commissioner the game has ever seen.
Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had this to say about his friend in a statement. “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.”
He went on to say, “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.“
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Stern was that dude. He pushed the NBA into a new era and made a whole lot of boyz a whole lot of bread.
Under Stern the NBA became a global game that has captured the imaginations of people around the world. The 1992 Dream Team took the game into orbit and it hasn’t landed since. Because of it’s popularity around the world the TV revenues have gone through the roof and therefore, players are making more money than they EVER made. Max contracts are NUTS right now and it’s all because of his leadership.
Even though the NFL is still America’s game the NBA is right on it’s heels and it’s all because of the big homie and O.G. David Stern. Rest in peace my man.