NBA Commissioner David Stern will "devote much of his
efforts to making it easier for his players to become better
role models," according to Scott Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS.
At the league meetings in Vancouver, Stern said, "The most
important piece of unfinished business, and I think we're
getting there, is the partnership between the teams, the
NBA, and its players for using the enormous power athletes
have in society as influences of young people and old
people. ... Sales of T-shirts and hamburgers and [TV]
programming will continue to grow, but this other challenge
is more exhilarating" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/25).
ODDS AND ENDS: In N.Y., Mike Wise wrote that the NBA's
"fan-friendly approach" was "stressed often" during the
league meetings, as all 29 teams will have $10 single-game
tickets and scrimmages held free for the public this season.
Stern had former Coca-Cola CMO Sergio Zyman "address the
gathering" during a general session about marketing
initiatives (N.Y. TIMES, 9/26)....An NBA source, on the
league's new drug-testing policy: "There's no telling how
many [players] will test positive. There will be some big
names who [test] positive and it will be interesting if they
leak. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some coaches,
too. ... But if some of the good guys test positive, don't
expect anything to happen unless it leaks and then the media
makes a big deal about it" (Mike Kahn, CBS SportsLine,
9/27)....ESPN's David Aldridge reported that the NBA "has
made next to no progress in attempts to establish a minimum
age requirement for incoming players." Stern: "We can't
really seem to get a dialogue going with the NCAA on the
subject" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 9/27).
NOTES: In Milwaukee, D. Orlando Ledbetter writes that
76ers G Allen Iverson "seems an odd selection to be the
cover guy" for this year's "Official NBA Register," as the
league "must be really hurting in the post-Michael Jordan
era." 76ers Senior VP Dave Coskey told the Philadelphia
Daily News, "We're seeing Allen taking a central position in
the marketing of the league. This is unbelievably cool"
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/28)....In Sacramento, Martin
McNeal wrote that the Tokyo Dome "has been set up to hold"
38,000 fans and ticket sales "have gone well" for the Kings-
T'Wolves games on November 5-6. McNeal reported that the
top tickets "are going for" $250 and "most of those have
already been sold." McNeal: "The league would be pleased to
get 30,000 fans into the Dome" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 9/26).
