Breaking: NBA Commissioner David Stern To Retire in 2014
By Josh Hill
On February 1, 1984, David Stern took office as the commissioner of the NBA and the fun, so to speak, began. Now, 30 years later, Stern is going to step down as Commissioner and his rule as the big man in charge of one of the most popular sports in the world will come to an end.
Fans and critics alike will no doubt be polarized when it comes time to do the usual and traditional tributes to Stern when he officially steps down as commissioner on November 1, 2014. Adam Silver, Stern’s side kick and Deputy Commissioner, will at that time be appointed the new commissioner of the NBA.
Oh, yeah, if you were excited about Stern retiring you still have to put up with him for a another season.
But the clock is ticking on one of the more interesting NBA careers to ever take place. Stern has been on both sides of fan appreciation and he’s overseen the sport’s growth over a defining period of time. When Stern took office in 1984, there was no Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing was a rookie and LeBron James hadn’t even been born yet.
Over the course of his rule, Stern saw the sport boom in popularity thanks to Jordan and his global success in Chicago with the Bulls. But many will remember Stern for the shady deals he’s made and even more so for the ones people allege he’s made. From allegations of rigging the NBA Draft Lottery even as early as his first year as commissioner to more than one work stoppage, Stern has dealt with a lot of outside angst from the people who pay to see his sport.
Stern’s most damning allegation against him is that he was fully behind the Seattle SuperSonics move from Seattle to Oklahoma, something that fans in the Pacific northwest still are reeling from. Of course Stern was behind the deal, but it’s how little he tried to keep the team in Seattle that has fans not just in Washington upset.
But love him or hate him, Stern has been the father of the NBA for an entire generation so far. How good of a father he was is up to history to decide, and he’s still got a little time to either fix his image or ruin it some more. Some will look back at Stern’s rule with sympathetic eyes, other will be reenacting the Ewok celebration scene from Return of the Jedi. Stern is an interesting character and on November 1, 2014, for the first time in LeBron James and many people of that generation’s lifetime, the NBA will have a new commissioner.