David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the former commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984, succeeding Larry O'Brien. He is credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s and 2000s...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusiness Executive
Date of Birth22 September 1942
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
We're getting to a place where we have to make a decision relatively soon. I would hope by the end of next week we'll have something to say.
I'm not big on looking back beyond the moment in which decisions and events occur. I'm always pushing forward.
Those are decisions best left to elected officials, but there are choices that have to be made.
I would say to Byron let me make that decision and he should focus more on basketball. And if you see him, tell him that. We're going to be back.
If not, that's a decision we can accept. But then we'll have to act on it ourselves.
If (players) are really going to have a problem, they will have to make a decision about how they want to spend their adult life in terms of playing in the NBA or not, ... quite liberal and easygoing.
What he said was he had a conversation with a referee. I found that unacceptable and (also) his declining to identify him. ... He accepted the fine and acknowledged the statement that he got a call from an NBA referee was, shall I say in error, inaccurate. That makes it over.
We're going to Las Vegas because we think it's a great destination city. They have removed the All-Star events from the betting line, and we think that we have no problem with people who want to go there and gamble.
Usually I come into the office and say, 'Will someone please time the last three minutes of this game that took 22 minutes and tell me why? I'm not sure that we're showing our fans our best basketball.
The only record we have are your notes and your recollection.
The perception problem was there, and therefore it was real, ... We were focusing on that issue even before the brawl, but it certainly was an exclamation point in terms of perceptions of NBA players. We've got to do a better job of both acknowledging it and working to correct it.
We are pleased to have these renowned franchises represent the NBA in the most ambitious international competition in league history.
We've got an extraordinary number of good cops at the NBA.
What we came up with is a dress code that even Mark Cuban could comply with - if he wanted to.