David Stern long-serving NBA commissioner dies

David Stern, former NBA long serving commissioner dies

David Stern, former NBA long serving commissioner dies

David Stern, former NBA long serving commissioner dies

Former NBA commissioner David Stern, who nurtured US basketball into an international power house has died. He was 77 years old.

He died Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage on Dec. 12 that required emergency surgery.

A titan of sports leadership, Stern took office when NBA playoff games were regularly broadcast on tape delay on CBS.

Related News

By the time he handed the reins to his deputy Adam Silver in 2014, 30 years to the day after he took over, NBA basketball as a spectator sport had become an international brand with fans across the globe.

Stern’s tenure coincided with the rise of the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry that saw the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers win a combined eight championships behind their two superstars from 1980 to 1988.

Stern took office the same year the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan, who would take over from Bird and Johnson as the face of the league and become a global icon as he won six NBA championships.

Load more