Friends of former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN are "urging him to run" for mayor of N.Y. in '17, now that current Mayor BILL DE BLASIO is "looking less likely to be re-elected to a second term," according to Richard Johnson of the N.Y. POST. Stern is a "lifelong Democrat who has regularly contributed to the party." A source said of Stern, "He’s pretty bored. He’s always been interested in politics, and he’s always been interested in running for office." Stern said he is "flattered," but not interested in running. Stern: "I remain a happy Westchester resident and am very busy as a senior adviser to a number of enterprises" (N.Y. POST, 8/20). YAHOO SPORTS' Eric Freeman wrote the report tying Stern to the mayoral race "would be questionable even if it did not include Stern's dismissal, if only because at 72 he is 18 years older than Bill de Blasio, less than a year older than ex-mayor RUDY GIULIANI, and just a few months shy of de Blasio's predecessor MICHAEL BLOOMBERG." Stern would be 75 at the time of the '17 election "and 79 at the end of his first term (of a maximum two)" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/19).
