Stern handled multiple crises and work stoppages, and put a focus on marketing and international exposuregetty images
Former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN, who passed away yesterday at 77, altered the league in ways that "seemed impossible in the mid-1980s, creating lucrative TV deals and corporate sponsorships, a global audience and marketable superstars" during his 30-year tenure, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY. Stern, who was inducted into the Basketball HOF in '14, was "many things." Zillgitt: "Intelligent, savvy, bold, stubborn, driven, competitive, charming, humorous, kind, biting, forceful and demanding" (USA TODAY, 1/2). In DC, Matt Schudel writes Stern during his tenure was "unquestionably the most dominant figure in the NBA." He "stabilized a league that was tottering with its fan base shrinking and many of its teams losing money." When he took over the NBA's top job in '84, the league had 24 employees. When he retired in '14, it had 1,200 employees, with offices "all over the world, including three in China." Stern's management of the NBA "yielded immediate dividends, with soaring revenue, record attendance, lucrative TV contracts and renewed interest in professional basketball" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/2). In L.A., Dan Woike notes the NBA under Stern "grew into a viable domestic and global product." Under his leadership, the NBA "added seven franchises to expand to 30 teams." Stern "handled multiple crises and work stoppages, and put a focus on marketing and international exposure" (L.A. TIMES, 1/2). In N.Y., Kevin Draper notes Stern drove the NBA "from a sleepy league to one with nearly unmatched global and cultural might." Draper: "The story of the NBA is the story of David Stern's life" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/2). The Undefeated's Marc Spears "highlights some of the power moves" that helped define Stern's legacy, while CBSSports.com's Sam Quinn provides a timeline of Stern's NBA tenure.
AHEAD OF HIS TIME: In N.Y., Marc Stein in a front-page piece writes Stern "intimidated many with his domineering ways." But he also "possessed a marketing vision and instinct that helped lift the league from its darkest period to new levels of prosperity -- and popularity -- both domestically and abroad" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/2). In Houston, Jonathan Feigen writes Stern "ruled his league with ambition to grow its power and importance that was never satisfied, never waned." Ever the "prescient promoter, he pushed hungrily into then new horizons of cable television, the internet and globalization" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/2). ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski: "He was a visionary and a dealmaker and a tyrant and a revolutionist" (ESPN.com, 1/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Vincent Goodwill writes Stern "possessed an innate ability to see what was ahead, getting in front of the wave and making sure to get off before it crashed." He "almost felt indestructible, almost always with the right answers, with the right tone even through his faults" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/1). ESPN's Wojnarowski added, "He treated the league office and the league like a mom and pop store. … He knew who everybody was. He knew what their jobs were. He knew what challenges they were facing. He was hands-on in almost every way, and for better or worse, David Stern had a tremendous will. He could run roughshod over people, but in a lot of ways, he could will into action the things that he wanted, the vision he had for the league” (“Get Up,” ESPN, 1/2).
LASTING LEGACY: On Long Island, Barbara Barker writes Stern was the "most important commissioner in the history of American sports." Barker: "No other commissioner comes close. Not BOWIE KUHN. Not PETE ROZELLE." What "sets Stern apart from the other great sports commissioners of his time is he realized how he could use his sport to effect positive social change" (NEWSDAY, 1/2). In Oklahoma City, Berry Tramel writes Stern ranks with Rozelle as the "greatest commissioners in American sports history" (OKLAHOMAN, 1/2). THE RINGER's Dan Devine: "Right or wrong, for 30 years, David Stern was the guy in the pilot's seat, and the NBA soared" (THERINGER.com, 1/2). SI.com's Chris Mannix: "What the NBA is today is what David Stern made it. What it can be is because of the path Stern set for it" (SI.com, 1/1). The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan: "He helped transform a sleeping giant of a sport into a global force. Even better, he was an anti-stuffed shirt commissioner, a guy you could joke and have fun with" (TWITTER.com, 1/1). In Sacramento, Marcos Breton writes Stern's "huge personality belied his modest stature." He "loved to mix it up with anyone and, above all else, this was a man who knew who he was and woe to the fool who underestimated him" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/2). In L.A., Dan Woike notes the growth of the game was "predicated on Stern's belief in the NBA's place as an entertainment option, not just a sports league" (L.A. TIMES, 1/2). L.A. Sparks F Chiney Ogwumike said, “To this day, we are the only women’s professional league that has never folded 23 years standing -- that was all David Stern. For me as a player that’s I guess newer in this generation, we all have an immense gratefulness for everything he has done, not just for people of color, but also advancing women in sports period" ("First Take," ESPN, 1/2).
THE GAME'S BIGGEST FAN: In DC, Ben Golliver writes, "While there were squabbles on a thousand fronts over the years, Stern's focus remained on growing and selling the game." His final act as commissioner -- "one he professed to take seriously -- was to groom an able successor" in ADAM SILVER, "inevitably cast as the good cop to Stern's bad cop" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/2). In Boston, Gary Washburn notes Stern after his retirement "became the grandfather of the NBA, the commissioner emeritus whose job had been well done." He was the league's "voice of reason, the man who not only embraced the league's diversity but had the ability to relate to every member of the NBA workforce, and the moment he felt as if he was losing touch, he stepped down." As much as Silver has "continued Stern's vision and added ideas of his own, the NBA is still a league heavily influenced and widely impacted by Stern and his desire to change the perception of the league" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). SI.com's Chris Ballard wrote Stern "understood the value of narrative, of heroes and villains." As "long as the league benefited, he was happy." As a boss, Stern "engendered deep loyalty among employees while driving them hard" (SI.com, 1/1). The AP's Tim Reynolds noted Stern "tried to hide that he had an enormous heart" (AP, 1/1).
SEEN & HEARD: BILL RUSSELL said of Stern, "He changed so many lives. David was a great innovator and made the game we love what it is today. This is a horrible loss." KOBE BRYANT: "The game changed in so many ways under David Stern's leadership and vision. He demanded the best of everyone because he gave it himself." WNBA analyst DEBBIE ANTONELLI: "Thank you David Stern for having the vision to launch the @WNBA under the leadership of Val Ackerman. ... You made a difference for generations of little girls who hoop in the driveway, in the playground or in the gym." Thunder G and NBPA President CHRIS PAUL: "The game lost a leader today."
OFF THE COURT: The AP's Brian Mahoney noted Stern would say one of his greatest achievements was "guiding a league of mostly black players that was plagued by drug problems in the 1970s to popularity with mainstream America" (AP, 1/1). USA TODAY's Zillgitt notes Stern's "most humane, poignant act as commissioner came when he stood by" MAGIC JOHNSON when he announced he was HIV-positive on Nov. 7, 1991. Stern "could have distanced himself and the league from Johnson." Zillgitt: "He did the opposite. He embraced Johnson, figuratively and literally, and took heat for it" (USA TODAY, 1/2). Johnson: "People thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world" (TWITTER.com, 1/1).
