David Stern, the NBA’s 4th and greatest commissioner, has died at age 77. If the NBA is a great sports empire today, then David Stern is surely its Caesar Augustus.
Others, with better memories, or more access, have already published eulogies, retrospectives and summations. This memorial will be somewhat more personal in nature.
It is bleakly appropriate amidst our Top Lists of The NBA Decade That Was (that strictly speaking isn’t over, but round numbers always seem to win out) that we now engage in toting up of the NBA life of David Stern, though his influence stretches back several decades.