David Stern Named Most Influential Person In Pro Basketball

SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL has named NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN the most influential person in pro basketball. In addition to the continued growth of franchise values under his watch, Stern has made the NBA “the envy of other sports properties in terms of international growth and he’s led an effort to combat a player image problem.” In the future, Stern will continue his emphasis on “player behavior, building the D-League into a true minor league with affiliations, and a focus on a basketball academy.” The following presents the 20 most influential people in pro basketball (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/23 issue).

RK	OFFICIAL
1)	NBA Commissioner David Stern
2)	ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer
3)	NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver
4)	NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter
5)	Heat Owner and NBA BOG Chair Micky Arison
6)	Suns Chair & CEO and USA Basketball Managing Dir Jerry Colangelo
7)	Turner Sports President David Levy
8)	NBA President of League & Basketball Operations Joel Litvin
9)	Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban
10)	NBA President of Global Marketing Partnerships & International Business Operations Heidi Ueberroth
11)	Nike Chair Phil Knight
12)	Anheuser-Busch VP/Global Media & Sports Marketing Tony Ponturo
13)	Lakers Owner Jerry Buss
14)	adidas Chair & CEO Herbert Hainer
15)	Coca-Cola VP/Sports Marketing Bea Perez
16)	WMG Management President Arn Tellem
17)	FSN COO Randy Freer
18)	Cavaliers F LeBron James
19)	Rockets C Yao Ming
20)	Reebok Senior Dir of Grassroots Basketball Sonny Vaccaro