David Stern:
The late NBA commissioner had many lasting contributions.
David Stern, the former NBA commissioner who died last week after a brain hemorrhage and surgery in December, helped shape the league into the $8 billion business it is today.
It wasn’t easy. Stern faced many on- and off-court crises, but through those problems, he had a vision for the NBA that transcended any issue, turning the league into a global behemoth that seemed impossible when Stern was the league’s general counsel in the early 1980s.
Through hard-nosed negotiating, brilliant marketing and attention to detail, Stern, who led the league for 30 years beginning in 1984, crafted a legacy as one of the best commissioners ever.
We take a look at five ways Stern altered the NBA:
TV/viewership growth
Game 3 of the 1986 Finals was aired on tape delay. It’s impossible to fathom a championship game airing on tape delay today, and Stern knew then that had to change. Bringing the NBA into homes was high on Stern’s priority list.
He reached deals with multiple TV networks and introduced League Pass, where almost every game is available to watch online, on a mobile phone or on TV around the world, reaching millions and millions of fans.
There is regular NBA content on TV, beyond games, on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV.
Global vision
Basketball was popular outside of North America, but Stern was intent on bringing the NBA to the world. It started small, but those modest inroads led to gigantic gains in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Getting NBA players into the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is a seminal moment. The world saw NBA talent and young international players were inspired. There were 108 international players on NBA rosters at the start of this season compared to 24 in 1994-95. Last season’s MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was born in Nigeria, moved to Greece with his family and became a star in the NBA.
Player marketing
Stern was a lawyer by trade but also a masterful marketer. He understood players were recognizable and had wonderful stories to tell. It also helped that two of the league’s best players on two of the league’s best teams when Stern took over were two of the most marketable: Magic Johnson with the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird with the Boston Celtics.
Then, Michael Jordan reached the NBA. Not only was Jordan talented, he was the perfect endorser for sports drinks, sports apparel, sports gear, cereal, soft drinks, fast-food, car companies, hot dogs and movies.
LeBron James has taken it to the next level with endorsement, investment, ownership and media opportunities. Forbes estimates that James makes nearly $53 million a year from off-court business deals.
Social responsibility
Stern wanted the league, its teams and players to profit. But he also believed they shared a responsibility to help others. The NBA/WNBA Cares programs are impossible to quantify, but players and league and team employees spend hours and hours in philanthropic endeavors large and small.
Programs include: Hoops for Troops, NBA FIT, NBA Green, NBA Math Hoops, NBA and WNBA Community Assist Awards, NBA Voices and Mind Health. The league’s Basketball Without Borders program offers opportunities to those who would otherwise not have a chance to get instruction from NBA players and coaches.
The league says it has provided more than 5 million handson hours of service, and several players have their own charitable organizations.
Plus, Stern’s handling of Magic Johnson’s HIV announcement revealed his humanity and compassion. (See Page 30.)
Handing the keys to Adam Silver
Any league faces a transition when a longtime commissioner steps aside, and Stern had the foresight to make that transition as easy as possible by making sure the next person in charge had a firm understanding of the league.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, whose father, Edward, worked with Stern at a New York City law firm, joined the NBA in 1992 and worked his way up through the entertainment and business sides. He took an active role in the 2011 NBA lockout and was ready for the top job by 2014.
Silver negotiated a nine-year, $24 billion TV deal. He also helped the value of franchises grow to where the expected average valuation for each NBA team is expected to reach $2 billion, according to Forbes.
Silver has also managed crises, including the Donald Sterling situation, and he had a master class in crisis management under Stern.