Bob Ryan reflects on former NBA commissioner David Stern

It’s easy to look at NBA Twitter, our daily basketball dialogue and even the shared sport we love around the world in commonality with entirely different cultures as inevitable. Before David Stern, the NBA could hardly hope of punching alongside baseball, never mind football. Now it’s one of the most popular sporting leagues in the world.

The basketball world paused to reflect on the man who played a large role in propelling basketball to global stature in 30 years as commissioner. David Stern died at 77 years old on New Year’s Day after suffering a brain hemorrhage in December. Adam Silver, James Harden and Shaquille O’Neal — among many others — reflected on Stern’s respective impact on…