National Basketball Association

Legendary NBA Commissioner David Stern dies at 77 years old

Published Jan. 1, 2020 5:52 p.m. ET

Simply put, today's NBA as we know it would not exist without Commissioner Emeritus David Stern, who died on January 1, 2020, after being hospitalized since December 17 with a brain hemorrhage.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1212492149545062401

From his focus on the epic rivalry between Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird's Boston Celtics and its ability to captivate a nation, to his ardent advocacy for the global expansion of the game, Stern's legacy is as lasting as it is expansive. He was named the NBA's fourth commissioner in 1983, succeeding Larry O'Brien (after whom the association's championship trophy is named) in 1984. That same year, a young guard out of the University of North Carolina named Michael Jordan joined the league, and the rest was history.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1212490300184289280

Or it could have been, anyway. Surely, Jordan's ascension took the NBA to lofty heights, as Stern guided the league through its explosion of popularity. Yet Stern never rested on his laurels, and he certainly refused to allow the league to do the same.

https://twitter.com/NoahCoslov/status/1212489535784927232

The likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James grew into worldwide icons of the highest order in the post-Jordan era, then Stern helped open the NBA's doors to new audiences with the arrival of Yao Ming to the Houston Rockets. And as the Internet matured and transformed the wider entertainment landscape, Stern and the NBA made the prudent choice not to crack down on piracy of highlights, turning the league into an undeniable social media behemoth.

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1212479258620317699

Stern announced his retirement on October 25, 2012, stepping down on February 1, 2014, as Adam Silver took the reins. Stern never really left the basketball ecosystem, however. From time to time, a reporter would ask for his thoughts on topics like sports betting, the future of the in-game fan experience, or player usage of marijuana, and he'd happily oblige with his opinion. For if there was one thing Stern was not, it was shy.

His passing was met with an outpouring of support from the NBA and sports community befitting a legend of his stature:

https://twitter.com/RealBillRussell/status/1212487324858105856

https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/status/1212481593497010176

https://twitter.com/SHAQ/status/1212497189043351553

https://twitter.com/Rjeff24/status/1212482063087161344

https://twitter.com/ScottiePippen/status/1212486430267781121

https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1212484090231869440

https://twitter.com/paugasol/status/1212487261981466624

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yq1ezlUQa/?igshid=dyktgmgfgeje

https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1212489010343493632

Writers, journalists, and others also shared their best Stern stories after the news broke:

https://twitter.com/sam_amick/status/1212492803978088448

https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1212484872624918534

https://twitter.com/TurnerSportsEJ/status/1212506445650038786

https://twitter.com/SherwoodStrauss/status/1212486819880697856

https://twitter.com/GlobeBobRyan/status/1212482012344442887

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1212487555003883526

Stern will undoubtedly be missed, but we will leave you as we think he would have wanted: with a compilation of all of the boos he received — and all of the joy he had in relishing the heckling — in his final NBA Draft in 2013. Rest in peace, David Stern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOCHTiffWAw&feature=emb_title