David Stern has passed away

[tomodach10]

Can we have a team now?

Please take the Clippers.

 

[eaglesnut]

Adam Silver should have been first.

 

[msgkings322]

Adam Silver should have been first.

Classy.

 

[jontaejones]

RIP to David Stern, he created the NBA that I loved.

I'm going to really frank here, I'm convinced that the reason the NBA isn't more popular is because most of the players are black ... and Stern helped to market the league despite that.

Of course, MJ helped as well.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Given that all my contemporaries have forgiven him, that means my hands are tied and that I should as well.

R.I.P. Stern.

 

[bksballer89]

• Mr. $tern suffers massive heart attack in his retirement home and is unable to be revived.

I'll never forget this post.....

 

[HurricaneDij39]

I'll never forget this post.....

Not called for at this time.

 

[Beaker]

He had a good run

 

[trojanfan12]

RIP

He was a bit dictatorial and definitely overstepped his authority a few times.

But he also took a league that was struggling, had drug issues, teams on the verge of bankruptcy and was mostly irrelevant to the point that some of it's championship games were on tape delay at 11:30 at night.

He took that and exploded it into a global sport that is 2nd only to the NFL in this country and may be 2nd only to soccer worldwide.

 

[logic]

RIP

Although I didn't always love his decisions and methods he was definitely a huge positive force for the association. I wish his family and friends my deepest condolences.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Commissioners often get praised for progress that would’ve happened anyway had they not been there.

I think Stern did very good things for NBA team owners and was capable of stepping back and allowing things beyond his control to occur (instead of meddling to their detriment). The deification of some of these guys is just nuts though – Stern didn’t invent TV rights, he negotiated well. He didn’t invent satellite television or the internet or, for that matter, Yao Ming in order to grow the game internationally, he just took the next logical step and expanded marketing and presence there as did literally every other multinational corporation during the last 30 years. He also allowed and facilitated some pretty useless franchise moves and expansions, left one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing regions in the country without an NBA team and didn’t ban James Dolan for life from the league.

He also presided over two work stoppages and wound up with a situation where players have more power than in any other major American league.

Pretty mixed bag IMO.

 

[CitySushi]

Stern had some great moments and some not so great ones. But in the end hopefully he's resting peacefully. RIP.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

With the sole exception of Rozelle, he impacted his sport more than any commissioner in my lifetime. From TV to the International expansion of the game, no one was bigger.

 

[Wishbone]

We would have no Thunder without David Stern. Thanks and RIP.

 

[msgkings322]

We would have no Thunder without David Stern. Thanks and RIP.

"Yeah no shit"

Signed,

The city of Seattle

 

[RobToxin]

In some ways, I believe Stern may get a little too much credit for the NBA growth. He had a lot of things fall into his lap. (The growth of cable television. Larry, Magic and Michael).

Still, he did take full advantage of what he was given and there is no doubt how much the NBA had changed when he left compared to when he began.

I was in high school. I remember deciding games in the NBA Finals being on tape delay.

A concept that would be absolutely ludicrous to comprehend for today's generation.

And that changed under Stern.

He was at the right place at the right time but there is no denying he took advantage of the opportunity given him.

 

[msgkings322]

In some ways, I believe Stern may get a little too much credit for the NBA growth. He had a lot of things fall into his lap. (The growth of cable television. Larry, Magic and Michael).

Still, he did take full advantage of what he was given and there is no doubt how much the NBA had changed when he left compared to when he began.

I was in high school. I remember deciding games in the NBA Finals being on tape delay.

A concept that would be absolutely ludicrous to comprehend for today's generation.

And that changed under Stern.

He was at the right place at the right time but there is no denying he took advantage of the opportunity given him.

The tape delay thing just reminded me how much people forget how different the game is today. When there's these comparisons of best players ever and they count the old dude's accomplishments (Bill Russell etc) as equal to new ones (LeBron etc)

But to your original point, yeah a lot of it is luck, being in the right place at the right time. The thing is, that explains well over 50% of all successful people...presidents, sports stars, actors, even CEOs...luck is a big deal for everyone.

 

[RobToxin]

The tape delay thing just reminded me how much people forget how different the game is today. When there's these comparisons of best players ever and they count the old dude's accomplishments (Bill Russell etc) as equal to new ones (LeBron etc)

But to your original point, yeah a lot of it is luck, being in the right place at the right time. The thing is, that explains well over 50% of all successful people...presidents, sports stars, actors, even CEOs...luck is a big deal for everyone.

Absolutely!

You can recover the fumble at the one. It doesn't do you any good though if you get stuffed on fourth and goal afterwards.

It's all about making those opportunities count and no one can ever say Stern didn't do that.

 

[Brees#1]

RIP to David Stern, he created the NBA that I loved.

I'm going to really frank here, I'm convinced that the reason the NBA isn't more popular is because most of the players are black ... and Stern helped to market the league despite that.

Of course, MJ helped as well.

In the 2000s it was doing better with Dirk, Nash dominating. The problem now is superteams.

 

[trojanfan12]

In the 2000s it was doing better with Dirk, Nash dominating. The problem now is superteams.

lol

There have always been superteams.