I’ve got to be honest — I never thought a lot about David Stern.
He was named the NBA’s commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984, was handed the Magic Johnson Lakers and Larry Bird Celtics on a silver platter and he didn’t screw it up.
Under his leadership, the league grew and thrived, come hell or labor unrest. “Stern often played the role of emperor, forever beating back the barbarians at the gate (the media and the players union),” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard, from whom we will hear more in a minute. Stern presided over the league for precisely 30 years — he stepped down on Feb.