Former NBA Commissioner David Stern, Who Grew NBA Into Global Brand, Dies Wednesday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The man who led the expansion of the National Basketball Association into an international, multi-billionaire-dollar sports powerhouse and the marketing of NBA stars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird into mainstream sports stars that even non-basketball fans knew has died.
Former NBA Commissioner David Stern died Wednesday in Manhattan, according to an NBA announcement. Stern, 77, died from a brain hemorrhage he suffered Dec. 12.
“For 22 years I had a courtside seat to see David in action. He was a mentor and one of my closest friends,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who inherited the job from Stern in 2014. “We spent countless hours in the office, at arenas and on planes wherever the game would take us. Like every NBA legend, David had extraordinary talents, but with him it was always about the fundamentals — preparation, attention to details and hard work.”
Here’s the NBA announcement.
Stern was also a mentor to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who eventually backed the National Hockey League’s expansion into Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season. Bettman worked as a lawyer at the NBA from 1981-1993 when he became the NHL commissioner.
Bettman issued this statement: “I am extremely saddened at the passing of my mentor and long-time friend David Stern. He was a man of great vision and energy who is responsible for the operational and business advancements that created the modern sports industry. David taught me how to be a commissioner and, more importantly, how to try to be a good person. David will be missed terribly, especially by his wife Dianne and his sons Andrew and Eric, all of whom have Shelli’s and my deepest condolences.”
The NBA’s stature as a global brand can be tied to Stern’s globalization of the NBA into markets from China to Africa. It’s the reason why more than 100 international players from nearly 40 nations play in the NBA, with NBA games televised in more than 200 countries.
Meanwhile, the NBA added teams in seven markets under Stern’s tenure, reaching 30 franchises 15 years ago. Las Vegas is being mentioned as a potential NBA host market as Silver called for legalized sports gambling outside Nevada several years ago.
In 1942, Stern was born in Manhattan, the son of a father who ran a deli in New York. Stern grew up in Teaneck, N.J. before graduating from Rutgers University. Stern joined the NBA in 1966.
The NBA grew as a revenue powerhouse under Stern, who watched league’s revenues grow into the billions of dollars. He became commissioner in 1984 — the same year that superstar Michael Jordan joined the association.
Stern understood it was a players league and marketed the NBA to showcase its stars like Jordan, Johnson, Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Charles Barkley. The 1992 Dream Team that won Olympic gold was formed during Stern’s tenure when NBA players became rock stars in markets across the world.
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