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
I am quite on record as saying that Seattle has the least-competitive lease in the league and is at a decided economic disadvantage. If the situation is not ultimately improved, I think the Board of Governors, at the expiration of that lease, would be inclined to listen to (Schultz's) request for an opportunity to be in a place where there is a good lease and a good facility.
I fully expect to be visiting Seattle in the relatively near future to weigh in on that subject and I'm quite on record as saying that Seattle has what is the least competitive lease in the league, which is a decided economic disadvantage. I think if that situation is not ultimately improved ... I think that the board of governors at the expiration of the lease would be inclined to listen to their partner's request for an opportunity to be in a place where there is a good lease and a good facility.
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.
(The playoffs are) a road you have to follow if you want to be considered among the great ones, because it demonstrates that you're either making the players around you better or management is putting better players around you in order to showcase your talent longer into the playoffs.
We think the nature of our fan would change dramatically because (inside) information becomes, you know something, you make a bet, somebody tells you something else and perhaps you even go away from the game unhappy because the home team won but they didn't cover.
I think that players play, and they compete, and it's not about incentives.
Everyone said that the NBA could not possibly make it because it had too many black players.
With every day that goes by, there will be further reductions on what's left of the season
Our officials want nothing more than to be at the top of their professional game and make the correct call. That's what they do; that's their living, that's their pride, that's their joy. They don't achieve that because they happen to be human.
Everyone knows that if you can keep on making money, everyone's happy.
Follow your dreams and make the most of every experience.
You walk into the playgrounds in Shanghai and Beijing, and you see youngsters who are shorter, shaking and baking and having attitude. And Jeremy Lin is going to inspire all of them.
You will ultimately be defined by the sum total of your responses to circumstances, situations and events that you probably couldn't anticipate and indeed probably couldn't even imagine. So just keep your eyes on the course and be ready to move in different directions depending upon the crises and opportunities with which you are faced.
I'm not big on looking back beyond the moment in which decisions and events occur. I'm always pushing forward.