Advertisement - scroll for more content
“What I would tell [commissioner] David Stern and then Adam [Silver] … you know how in soccer, for the Olympics it’s 21-and-under, 22-and-under, whatever it is? And then [FIFA] own the World Cup? And the World Cup’s a bigger event? I’m like, ‘give [the Olympics] our young kids. Do the same thing as soccer. Let the 21-and-under play for the Olympics, and then create our own international World Cup.’ … And they were like, ‘Well, FIBA. We got this contract with FIBA.’ Well that contract will expire. And them immediately — like, they wouldn’t tell me anything — but they were like, ‘Okay, we signed an extension with FIBA,'” Cuban explained, giving a dramatic eye-roll.
Marc Stein: Adam Silver will soon crown the ninth different champion in his 12 postseasons as NBA commissioner … and a record seventh new champion in a span of seven seasons in #thisleague. David Stern crowned eight champions in 30 postseasons. More: https://tinyurl.com/ywt4zywr
About an hour before the story appeared, Collins was on the phone with then-NBA commissioner David Stern and then-deputy commissioner Adam Silver. “They were extremely supportive,” Collins said. “I couldn’t have done what I did without seeing what the leadership of the NBA was doing. When I first entered the NBA in 2001, players were allowed to use homophobic language without consequences. That changed in the mid-to-late 2000s. There started to be fines for using homophobic language. When I saw those fines being levied, especially with a minimum fine of $50,000 being implemented, that to me was a sign that NBA leadership has my back.”
Shaquille O'Neal: David Stern asked where I wanted to play in NBA - hot or cold city
Shaquille O’Neal: I don't know if you heard this story, but in 1992, I think with the draft, was it in June or something? I meet Mr. David Stern in March and he says to me, "Hey, can't wait for you to come to the NBA." Then he pulls me to his side and asked me 'You want to play where it's cold or where it's hot?' He asked me that. Yeah, he did. He asked me that and I was like, "Hot!” And he smiled and I smiled and then couple days later they had the draft thing and the top three things and then Minnesota was number three, then Charlotte was number two and then Orlando, Florida was number one. I was like I didn't think anything about it. But you hear a lot of these conspiracy theories and know there's a lot of situations that could make these things sound good and sound true like ‘okay Dallas gets rid of a one of the one of the best players but oh! we we're getting a new one.’ Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. So I don't want to use the word conspiracy theory but it's very interesting how it all played out.
John Salley: “MJ came out in 1984 and David Stern became the commissioner, and he said that, ‘Michael, you and I are going to change the world.’ So part of the reason he’s the messiah and they don’t talk about anybody else is because that’s part of it. He is the greatest I played against, but there were some bad people that came before — but they will never get that shine.”
Advertisement
Jack McCallum on David Stern: Stern would tell you to go f**** yourself then the next day he could be back with you
I’ve always heard stories about David Stern calling up reporters and yelling at them. Did he ever do that with you? Jack McCallum: Oh my god, yeah. I missed him when he was gone. Here was his greatest thing: Stern could tell you to go fuck yourself, and he would always had this thing… there was something Trumpian about his personality. ‘I’m the smartest guy in the room, you don’t know what you’re talking about,’ but the next day, he could be back with you.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver unveiled the NBA Africa Dikembe Mutombo Humanitarian Award on Feb. 15 at the 10th annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon. The NBA described the award as “a new annual honor that will recognize a person or an organization that works to advance health, education or economic opportunity across the continent of Africa.” Following his retirement from the league in 2009, Mutombo, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was the NBA’s first global ambassador, as appointed by late NBA commissioner David Stern.
“[Mutombo] was a constant fundraiser,” Silver said. “I used to sort of joke when we traveled with him, [and] he had his card as the NBA ambassador — these days when I take out my business card, young people say, ‘what is that piece of paper?’ But when people still had business cards, he would start with his NBA ambassador card, and then he’d wait until I walked away and out would come four other cards of all these other programs that he would be raising money for. He was so committed to it. “His spirit was infectious. Part of it was just being a 7-footer. We all knew when we traveled with him, whether it was to Mumbai — a place where people might not know much about basketball or Dikembe Mutombo — I think because of his size, because of his laugh, just because of his presence, they instantly would know he was somebody important and he’d create those connections, something we all talk about so much these days.”
In an interview with Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast this week, Silver clarified that the commissioner actually does not have the power to veto a trade: "No, believe it or not," he responded when asked if he has that power. "And there's some confusion. People have yelled out to me for some reason in the last week or so when I've been at games that I should be vetoing that trade the way David Stern vetoed a trade back in the old days. There's always some confusion there. David never vetoed a trade. When he was the acting owner of the New Orleans [Hornets] and the commissioner at the time, he turned down a trade that was proposed to him by the general manager of the team."
Some have described (David Stern) as the most energetic person they have met. A voracious reader who had as much energy at 6 p.m. as he did at 6 a.m., he attracted people who had the same approach to life and work. When thinking about our original TMBO account managers, none of us drank coffee (we were naturally caffeinated) and we were on the road an average of three days per week every week; we had to match David’s energy and his expectations.
Advertisement
David was always receptive to hearing new ideas, regardless of where they originated. He and I had a conversation one day about shared ownership of season tickets. He was very interested and asked how many people shared tickets. I speculated that maybe two to three people could share an account. His response was, “But you don’t know that for certain; let’s find out.” That resulted in going to four consecutive Knicks home games and working with a photographer to take pictures of seating sections, then enlarging the photos and reviewing them with the commissioner.
Metta World Peace: Michael Jordan was the only player who called me after Malice at the Palace
Metta World Peace: The last time I spoke to (Michael Jordan) was after the brawl. He was the only player who called me. He said, ‘Don’t worry, young fella, I’m gonna try to get you back.’ When he said that, I thought, ‘Wow, if MJ believes in me, I’ll be back.’ But not even Michael could fix things with David Stern. He was tough."
Mark Cuban: When I got to the NBA in 2000, they thought they were in the basketball business. Anything they did that wasn’t considered old-school or classic basketball was frowned upon. Back when David Stern—rest in peace—was the commissioner and Adam Silver was second in charge, I used to say the NBA stood for “Nothing But Attorneys” because that’s how they thought—just like a bunch of lawyers. They didn’t really think like entrepreneurs. You always have to know as a business what business you’re in. The NBA, and all professional sports, is in the business of creating experiences that are memorable forever. Professional sports are so unique because it’s the one form of entertainment where the ball is in the air, you’re down by one, and if it goes in, you’re screaming and yelling. If you miss, it’s the worst feeling. That’s so different from any other form of entertainment.
Eric Gordon: I was supposed to sign a max deal with Clippers but then the lockout happened
Eric Gordon: "I was supposed to sign a max deal with LA, like, right then and there. And then that’s when we had the lockout. Once we got back from that, they were promising me, 'You’re going to be here for five years,' this and that. The trade was done; it was supposed to be Bledsoe, Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu. And then, once they backed out of it, David Stern probably went to the GM, and they just threw me in there, and the rest was history. I was a little confused, and I was younger too. When I got to New Orleans, I wanted to do well, but I had already gotten injured. And people down there thought I just didn’t give a damn or anything while I was down there."
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement