Stern Talks Sonics, Player Issues During "BDSSP" Interview

Stern Discusses Sonics, Player Issues During "BDSSP" Appearance

PLAYER ISSUES: When asked about the friendship between Cavaliers F LeBron James and rapper Jay-Z, who is a Nets investor, Stern said James is "free to be friendly with anyone he wants to be friendly with." Stern: "That question (of conflict of interest) comes up all the time about large markets, about athletic apparel companies or other sponsors. We have rules, we have pretty strict enforcements. I never thought we’d be working on this kind of stuff, but that’s the reality." When asked about Mavericks F Josh Howard admitting he smokes marijuana in the off-season and claiming many other NBAers do as well, Stern said Howard "apologized. We agreed he was going to have a very good summer and not do anything stupid or say anything stupid and that’s the way we left it.”

COMING OF AGE: Stern, when asked about the NBA's age restrictions, said, “We’re not doing it as a social program so the kids can be better educated. We’re doing it as a selfish business issue." Stern: "We wanted two (years past high school). Two years past high school allow coaches and (GMs) to see a player, to see him develop ... and then to make a pick which is a very valuable thing, a draft pick. The players said, ‘One year, we’ll finally go one.’ And we said, given what else was happening, we’re not going to lock out and lose a season over another year, so we took the year we could get. We’d love to have another year” (“BDSSP,” FSN, 5/7).

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