Be it the draft or the championship trophy presentation, across all major sports it’s the vogue to boo the commissioner when he shows up in public.
But all basketball fans, particularly those of the NBA, should let out a loud cheer and offer a well-deserved thank you to outgoing commissioner David Stern.
The why is easy: Stern did his best to make basketball important and in the process gave it a global appeal the likes of which nobody could have imagined. And when he hands the baton to Adam Silver later this week, it will mark the end of a wildly successful—if occasionally unpopular—marathon run as NBA commissioner.
“He’s a person who made a significant difference in how basketball was viewed,” says Sonny Hill, an executive advisor to the Philadelphia 76ers who, at 77 years old, has seen the game evolve. “He changed the view [of the sport] not only in the United States, but throughout the world.”
The NBA’s earliest international connections trace back to the ‘70s and ‘80s, when a few NBA teams staged international games against European clubs—like the Atlanta Hawks taking on the Soviet National Team in ‘88. But, the true spike in global popularity didn’t start until 1992.
The Barcelona Games marked the first time NBA players participated in the Olympics. Uncle Sam was tired of seeing American collegians get beat up or nosed out by professional players from other parts of the world who were more mature and experienced, so they decided to go flea hunting with a tank.
I attended those games and can tell you that the popularity of the U.S. basketball squad was unmatched. During the opening ceremonies, other world-class athletes literally jumped barriers to get a handshake or picture with the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and Team USA traveled with a security presence normally reserved for heads of state.
The Barcelona Games gave the world its first close-up look at its heroes. The rest, as they say, is history. There are currently NBA offices established in Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Turkey, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Korea, China, India, Brazil and Mexico. The NBA has never been more popular on the world stage.
But when Stern took over as commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984, the NBA was a floundering league. One of the most problematic combinations for any person is drugs and money. The same is true of a league, and the NBA seemingly had both.
“[Stern] had great vision,” says Raptors senior advisor Wayne Embry. “He took a good product that just needed some fixing. David understood social issues and knew how to properly work his way through them.”
Embry, North American pro sports’ first African-American general manager, also looks at the timing of Stern’s changes.
“He knew where society was going, not just socially but with marketing and the advent of the sports networks ready to grow in popularity,” explains Embry.
Initiatives like drug testing, revenue sharing and the salary cap were instituted. The NBA became more stable and as it did, it attracted the sponsors and partnerships that eventually allowed it to take off. And who was leading the charge? Yep, David Stern.
“It’s because of his background,” says Hill. “Growing up in New York, being Jewish and understanding what the inner city is all about and how to bridge the gap. He skillfully navigated his way through that thanks to his creativity and his vision.”
Stern’s tenure is not without controversy. There were four lockouts, some heavy-handed discipline (such as the Minnesota Timberwolves losing draft picks for an under the table deal with Joe Smith), a kerfuffle over the institution of a dress code, a nasty franchise relocation dispute when the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, and a revoked trade that would’ve sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. But very little that’s truly important happens without some controversy.
So, thank you David Stern.
Thanks for making the sport that I fell in love with matter on the world stage. Thanks for improving the perception of the game, educating and recruiting fans and making basketball one of the most popular sports on earth.
It has always been said that your legacy is judged based on what you leave behind. If you take a step back and look at just how far he pushed basketball’s popularity, David Stern’s legacy is more impressive than any commissioner in major sports history.