The Legacy of David Stern: His Global Impact on Basketball and the NBA

Article by SG Basketball Coach PK Ong

NBA Commissioner David Stern on the podium at the NBA Finals

NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern passed away at the age of 77 on the first day of a new decade, 1 January 2020. He first took over the reins of NBA Commissioner in 1984, a very critical year for the NBA, as it was the harvest year of a bumper crop of would-be global basketball superstars, including the G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan, Hakeem ‘the Dream’ Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.

You can say that David Stern was the architect of the global NBA empire that you see today as he revolutionalized the way the league was run. In the 80s, the NBA was laden with drug issues and financial woes and a declining number of people were paying attention to it. When Stern took over, he cleaned up the NBA, implementing strict drug banning policies and improving the image of the players by having them suit up for games. 

Before Stern, the league focus was on the teams. Traditional powerhouse teams were the Lakers and Celtics and they dominated the league with the concept that is all about the team although they had two brilliant superstar characters in Magic Johnson and Larry Bird respectively. 

When David Stern became commissioner, he changed the way the league was viewed in the public eye, by making it a league of ‘Stars’. He wanted the NBA to be known by its personalities, the players. He marketed the league using the power of its superstars, having understood people love to follow leaders. Team followers are only by state. For example, if someone supported the Lakers, they were unlikely to like or follow Larry Bird. 

Stern recognized that the NBA superstars were these leaders he needed to ‘lead’ the masses. By changing the focus of the league to that of their superstars, marketing them as the best players in the world, helped spread the net wider. People were now following their favorite players instead of just their own state team (for those living in the US). As a result, merchandising sales skyrocketed for the NBA as a whole. For example, Michael Jordan jerseys were literally worn by Jordan fans all around the world in the 90s and were a coveted item. If you had an authentic Michael Jordan Bulls jersey back then, you ARE the man.

David Stern was also blessed that he had an ‘assist’ from ‘Air’ Jordan, who would become a global superstar with the growth of the NBA. Jordan was the game changer in a league focusing on teams. He had wide mass appeal with his electrifying style of play, and appealed to everyone with his charm on and off the court. And he was the perfect candidate to carry the mantle of the NBA after team legends, Magic and Bird.

The ’92 Olympics was the perfect opportunity for Stern to showcase the elite NBA superstars to the world. This was the first time that the U.S.A. sent an entire team of NBA players to the Olympics, and the squad was a monster team that was made up of the NBA’s All-Time best players. Any 5 players on the original ‘Dream Team’ would have a good chance of beating any team in the world. And the team was led by none other than Michael Jordan, who relished in the prospect of showing his all-around talent to the global audience. And the rest was history.

Using the power of these NBA superstars as the game’s ambassadors, Stern expanded the league globally through TV deals, clever marketing and merchandising. “I love this game” was one of the NBA’s most iconic marketing slogans in the 90s, connecting the global audience with a simple but effective call to action. Who could ever forget the snazzy NBA ads that showed its superstars in action and enjoying the game with their big smiles?

Stern was also responsible for the expansion of the NBA through the addition of new teams, even reaching into Canada with the creation of the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. He was also active in keeping the league competitive, and his most ‘notorious’ work was probably vetoing the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers (and joined then dominant Kobe Bryant) in 2011. 

The WNBA was also one of David Stern’s finest creations, as he handpicked Adam Silver (who is now NBA Commissioner) and Val Ackerman to co-write the WNBA’s business plan. Stern masterminded the move that changed women’s sports in a way that few could imagine. It would have never happen if not for a visionary like him.

David Stern left behind a legacy of NBA’s globalization, with a talent pool of players not only from the States, but from all over the world. The number of international players in the NBA today is ever growing. His influence was far and wide and is one that has no doubt changed the game of basketball forever.

David Stern at the Basketball Hall of Fame