You may have heard the news already, if not David Stern has announced that he will retire February 1, 2014. At the appointed time, he will step aside and leave the NBA in the hands of Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. During a press conference following the league’s Board of Governors meeting, Stern said: “It’s been a great run. The league is in, I think, terrific condition…I’d like to think I did an adequate job. But one of the things I did best
// My favorite David Stern story happened in Las Vegas, on the corner near the footbridge that takes you from the MGM Grand to the New York-New York without having to physically step on “The Strip” as you cross Las Vegas Boulevard. This was back in 2007 when the NBA had its All-Star game in Sin City, a grand experiment that produced one of the momentous All-Star Weekends ever — although what it’ll be remembered for is the unruly crowds it
NEW YORK — David Stern is stepping down as NBA Commissioner, effective Feb. 1, 2014. The NBA commissioner dropped that bombshell today following the league’s Board of Governors meeting. The 30 NBA owners unanimously picked Deputy Adam Silver as the replacement for Stern, although the official votes will come in late April after his contract is negotiated, Ken Berger of CBSSport reported. Stern has been the Commissioner of the league since Feb. 1, 1984, right around the time that Magic Johnson and Larry
Take flopping, please. Happily for the NBA, it’s going away, even if the league will pay a higher cost than it knows from crime-and-punishment headlines, stemming from David Stern’s decision to make it a crime, not a basketball play, punishable by huge fines. How hard would this have been: Tell the referees to make defenders be stationary for a count, not an instant. What’s the hard part? Tie goes to the offensive player, as it does to the runner in baseball. Unfortunately, nothing is easy
// The NBA will not be expanding to Europe anytime soon … if ever. After years and years of promoting and researching the idea, commissioner David Stern has come to the conclusion that it would be unrealistic to expand with a European Division that would have placed teams in London, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. The reasons: _ Not enough NBA-style arenas. _ Too much financial uncertainty related to the Euro. _ Not enough fan support … especially among customers willing to pay the prices
If the NBA is a restaurant, the preseason games are its appetizers: often tantalizing, but only occasionally tasty. Chris Bernucca has a look at the yummy aspects of the first few games, namely what can be learned about some of the league’s top teams. We’re also continuing our series of guest columns on why fans of all 30 NBA teams have reason to feel good about their squads, with the latest installment covering the Grizzlies from Tom Lorenzo of StraightOuttaVancouver. And whether you
Even for hoops addicts, watching NBA preseason games presents a challenge. The baseball playoffs are under way, the college football and NFL seasons are in full swing, and there is this small matter of a presidential election. There is no subscription package for the preseason. League Pass takes a pass until the regular season starts later this month. So the only way you can watch games right now is on NBA TV, which isn’t part of the basic package of a number
Commissioner David Stern is overseas, helping sell the NBA brand with its annual round of exhibition games in Europe and Asia. On Sunday, he was in Milan, Italy, watching the Boston Celtics – one of the few NBA teams that are a brand unto themselves – take apart Italian club EA7 Emporio Armani Milano. EA7 Emporio Armani is an apparel and accessory company and the primary sponsor of Milano of Lega A in Italy. The company logo is plastered across the front