David Stern, a lawyer from Manhattan who rose to NBA commissioner, shepherding the league through an unprecedented 30-year period of growth, died on Wednesday in New York. He was 77.
Three weeks ago, Stern suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dianne, and sons Eric and Andrew.
Under Stern, the NBA went from dozens of employees to thousands, from domestic to global, from secondary sport to multi-billion dollar entertainment. His tenure was marked by the rise of Larry, Magic and Michael, of Kobe and Shaq, of LeBron and Dirk, and the fact that you recognize each of these athletes by first name is partly Stern’s doing.