Ex-NBA commissioner David Stern, who led the league for 3 decades & turned it into multi-billion dollar enterprise, dies at 77
Stern died on Wednesday afternoon as a result of a brain hemorrhage he suffered in mid-December, which required emergency surgery, the NBA said in a statement. He was the league’s fourth commissioner, founded in 1946.
The longtime NBA head transformed the sports league into a “modern global” industry, helping to bring televised games to over 200 countries in dozens of languages, said current NBA head Adam Silver.
David Stern, the NBA commissioner who oversaw the sport’s biggest stage for three decades, has died.
He was 77. pic.twitter.com/Zc9IngkTPI
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2020
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Even after his 30-year career, which began in 1984, Stern kept active within the NBA and was given the title of “commissioner emeritus.” In 2014, he earned a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.
An outpouring of condolences came in the wake of Stern’s death, with NBA champions and other basketball royalty weighing in to mourn the loss, among them 11-time champ Bill Russell.
Prayers up for David Stern and his family!!
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 1, 2020
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I can not put into words what the friendship of David Stern has meant to me but many others. 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. Our hearts are with Dianne & their family. RIP my friend. @NBA pic.twitter.com/mbnneqm18s
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) January 1, 2020
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“Very sad day for basketball,” said Scottie Pippen, a hall-of-famer who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. “We saw David Stern a lot in the 90s and I found him to be kind, thoughtful and almost always the smartest person in the room.”
He was an innovator who helped grow our sport into a global game and his impact will never be forgotten. RIP, Commissioner.
Very sad day for basketball. We saw David Stern a lot in the 90s and I found him to be kind, thoughtful and almost always the smartest person in the room. He was an innovator who helped grow our sport into a global game and his impact will never be forgotten. RIP, Commissioner. pic.twitter.com/FzlJwnJmrK
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) January 1, 2020
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RIP David Stern??! Shaking your hand on June, 26, 2003 was a dream come true ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZCT7naJPcU
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 1, 2020
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Ex-NBA commissioner David Stern, who led the league for 3 decades & turned it into multi-billion dollar enterprise, dies at 77