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
Is (pro bono work) considered in the associate's evaluation? Will it be considered in their favor? Unfortunately it is not the case. ... Most firms do not prize pro bono as a criterion for partnership. You can count them on one hand.
I was pleased to find somebody analyzing pro sports, as thought to be a business. I was impressed with his professionalism and his understanding of the key drivers in our business. His conclusions were all wrong, but that led to some friendly and heated debate, and that was the start of our friendship.
Basketball without Borders is truly a global program that transcends all boundaries. It unites young people from diverse cultural, national and economic backgrounds on four continents.
The use of incense was very common in olden times. It was employed for profane purposes as an antidote to the lassitude caused by very great heat, as perfumes are now used. Mention of its introduction into pagan worship is made by classical writers, but today it has brought people together.
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'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.
I regret the 1998 - 99 lockout. I regret that we didn't work harder to educate our players and our owners about what the damage would be. I never can quite come up with the answer on what else we should have done, but I always blame a part of the problem on us and some part on the players.
As it's properly understood, it will be embraced, ... The union's fine with it. It's quite liberal and easygoing.
I think Dave has a very keen understanding of assets and their values. I understood him (buying the Blues) as a sign of great confidence he had in the new NHL model and ... that he thought he would be able to buy the team and profit on it. And I have no doubt that he will.
Our minor league has a proven track record of developing talent both on and off the court, with more than 100 players, coaches, referees, athletic trainers and front-office personnel moving to NBA teams or the league office, and we look for that trend to continue.
In my mind, there's been an enormous investment made and it's the beginning of a process that's quite extensive. As far as we understand it, the Nets are planning to be in Brooklyn in the next three years or so, but we don't control that process. All we do is get to receive their reports and ultimately approve the move.
Allen proves as well as anyone else has ever proven that if you've got game and you leave it all out there, you pick up the admiration of people around the world. And we love to see that happening. Because that's what shows our game at its best, sort of the teamwork, what it takes to play at the level and what he's willing to put up with in terms of injuries to continue to excel at this level.
I've taken the tour, sampled the fare, looked at the extraordinary video board ? this is one exciting building. You cannot miss the video board, it is simply the best in the league.
I've said it from Day 1 that Oklahoma City is a temporary, interim stop.