Former NBA commissioner David Stern reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage Thursday and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Prayers up for the former NBA commish.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the NBA released a statement Thursday evening that former league commissioner David Stern suffered a “sudden brain hemorrhage” earlier in the day and underwent emergency surgery.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Stern collapsed at the Brasserie 8.5 Restaurant in Manhattan and was rushed to the hospital for surgery.
Here is the NBA’s full statement:
"“NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage earlier today for which he underwent emergency surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with David and his family.”"
Stern, 77, oversaw one of the most important transition periods in league history, taking over as NBA commissioner in 1984 when the game exploded in popularity with the help of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. He was a driving force behind the way the NBA was able to globalize, serving as commissioner for exactly 30 years when he retired in 2014.
While Stern’s tenure was not without controversy, he was largely one of the more successful league commissioners in the history of any sport with the way the NBA expanded under his watch. He also oversaw the creation of the WNBA, which is becoming more and more popular with each passing year.
During Stern’s time as commish, six NBA franchises were relocated (Clippers, Kings, Grizzles, Nets, Hornets and SuperSonics) and seven new NBA teams were brought into the fold (Hornets, Timberwolves, Heat, Magic, Grizzlies, Raptors and Bobcats). He renamed the NBA Finals Trophy to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, dealt with four lockouts and also ratified the controversial NBA dress code.
Our thoughts and prayers are with David Stern and his family during this difficult time. More updates will follow as they become available.
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