David Stern long stepped away from his official post as NBA commissioner, but his handprints are all over today’s game and his fingerprints touch the landscape of sports at large.
It’s easy to say anyone could’ve shepherded the NBA through its golden era of the 1980s. Magic, Larry and others played a game that was easy to digest, and they were drafted by the perfect teams in the perfect cities. But without Stern, his vision and the audacity he possessed when he took over, not many would’ve been able to absorb the game and embrace the new flavor of the day.