2. "RIP, easily the best commissioner of the four majors in my lifetime." In response to Reply # 0
At the time he became associated with the NBA, it was at an impasse. You had the merger in the rearview, cocaine and other images problems in the foreground, shitty TV contracts and tepid national popularity. On the other hand, you had tremendous star power and potential to market the game globally. There were plenty of things to nitpick, but the general direction he took the league in was clear as day.
The thing I didn't like--and that I think Silver has improved upon considerably--is that Stern did seem fixated on making a black sport less threatening to a white audience. You could argue that was essentially to making and protecting gains in popularity, but I felt like he went too far at times.
Overall though, you compare him with the other commissioners of the past 40 years and it's not even close to close. He was brilliant in growing the game at home and abroad.
Also the first person (and every person) to cry about the CP3 trade in here is getting kicked in the nuts by a mule.
And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
4. "I was usually a critic but like others have said for better and worse..." In response to Reply # 0
he made the NBA what it is today.
As someone who became an NBA fan in the early 80’s in a non-NBA city before significant cable tv coverage and the modern internet when you had to actually go get a newspaper to look at the #boxscores to see what happened the NBA the night before to today by either cable tv or the internet you can basically see every game every night live is huge.
The players’ salary growth over his time as commissioner is huge as is the owners’ revenue share so when they try to act like it’s not it’s comical.
6. "Aside from the players, did more to shape the NBA as we know it..." In response to Reply # 0
...than anyone. Changed the way the game is viewed, played, and marketed. I certainly don't love all of his legacy, by the guy figured out how properly promote the league.
7. "enacted a racist dress code, suspended Abdul Raouf for his protest" In response to Reply # 0
And later had the nerve to say Kaepernick wouldn’t have been treated like that in the NBA
blackballed Connie Hawkins from the NBA ripped the Sonics out of Seattle allowed Donald sterling to do whatever he wanted treated iverson like shit for his bars
lol at all this undeserved praise for making basketball global, the rise of cable tv and internet did more than he ever did for the growth of the sport
he’s not James Naismith . stop with the flowery praise just bc he kicked the bucket
------------------- I wanna go to where the martyrs went the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...
>And later had the nerve to say Kaepernick wouldn’t have >been treated like that in the NBA > >blackballed Connie Hawkins from the NBA >ripped the Sonics out of Seattle >allowed Donald sterling to do whatever he wanted >treated iverson like shit for his bars > >lol at all this undeserved praise for making basketball >global, the rise of cable tv and internet did more than he >ever did for the growth of the sport > >he’s not James Naismith . stop with the flowery praise just >bc he kicked the bucket > > >
He was one of the NBA attorneys ( pre-Commissioner) that fought for Connie Hawkins blackballing and he fought tooth and nail against Oscar Robertson’s fight for NBA player free agency
------------------- I wanna go to where the martyrs went the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...
11. "Wrong place/time, fam..." In response to Reply # 7 Thu Jan-02-20 10:55 AM by CyrenYoung
..I'm not disputing your point.
This simply isn't the place for that convo.
Please feel free to start a post about your opinion of Stern, but respect your peers by simply declining to respond when you don't agree with an RIP post.