Stern will call it quits (in 2014)

[_Steve_]

After 30 years Stern will call it quits in 2014.
Had expected that move directly after the lockout, but I'm a bit surprised right now.
I have never been his biggest fan, but he definetly left his marks.

[benji]

I find myself saying this more and more these days, but he doesn't look 70.

They should pay him just to do the Draft.

[rise]

As much as he's done for this league, he's done a lot more negatives in the last few years than positives. Glad to see him calling it quits. Cue use of phrase "basketball reasons".

[Oznogrd]

Meh i think he's the biggest example of "good ideas bad execution" ive seen in professional sports. He is trying to respond to common complaints from the fans but he tends to take it one step too far for me. I will miss his acceptance as the villain though. Most commissioners get all upset about that kinda thing

[homicide1550]

about time he stepped down...

[buzzy]

I will miss his acceptance as the villain though.

[Andrew]

Not altogether surprising, it seemed the writing was on the wall after the last lockout and he's obviously getting on in years. It'll be strange to see someone else as the commish, but he's seemingly been grooming Adam Silver for the position for a while now, so hopefully the league will be in good hands come 2014.

As far as Stern's legacy, I think on the whole it's more positive than negative. The last decade or so he's had his fair share of shortcomings - teams moving in controversial fashion, questionable rules, a couple of lockouts where games have been lost, the fiasco with trying to replace the ball itself, to name a few - but under his watch the league has also instituted a drug policy that's kept things pretty clean and perhaps saved a few careers (and lives), expanded to new markets, enjoyed a huge growth in popularity worldwide, made a lot of money and experienced some very memorable seasons.

When it comes down to it, I'd say he's been a very good commissioner, but there are some noteworthy blotches on his resume and some of his ideas have been ill-conceived, no question. It'll be interesting to see what kind of changes he tries to get through in the next season and a half, that last big accomplishment/goal before he calls it a day.

Meh i think he's the biggest example of "good ideas bad execution" ive seen in professional sports. He is trying to respond to common complaints from the fans but he tends to take it one step too far for me. I will miss his acceptance as the villain though. Most commissioners get all upset about that kinda thing

Supposedly his reactions behind closed doors are a lot more colourful, but you gotta hand it to him for his poise in those situations. Had he gotten into professional wrestling he'd have been a great manager or on-screen authority figure. Talk about working a crowd and soaking up the boos.

[hova-]

From what I've read so far about Stern players/fans/owners etc. must be thankful for what he did for the league. I also don't like him very much, just because of his bad PR and some of these already mentioned shortcomings, BUT I also give him credit for the fact that I love basketball, because it was the NBA that attracted me when I was still very young and I don't think this would have been possible with a league full of gangsters and drug addicts as well as bad presentation/advertisment.

[NovU]

I have to note that the basketball as a sport attracted fans, not Stern. And saying the league today is in good state is a poor supporting statement in favor of Stern. "BUT Good outweighs bad!?!?" Not necessarily in some peoples' eyes.

[Andrew]

Of course the sport itself attracted fans. It also greatly helps that a few months after he took the reigns, the league experienced one of its most memorable Finals series (the 1984 clash between Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers) and a few months after that, a promising and exciting young player named Michael Jordan entered the league. But Stern was still the one running the show, calling the shots and doing his part to facilitate the league's growth and expansion into an even more popular sport, worldwide. He deserves credit for his part in the league's success in the past three decades.

[NovU]

He'll probably go down as a great commissioner or at least a very good one. It's no surprise with the way how things work with media and fans these days considering years of experience as a commissioner on resume of his. Which to me is sorta bullshit. Personally, I think he was an average man that did an average job. He did things that were necessary for this league to be successful, nothing more, nothing less.

[Andrew]

We could dismiss anyone's efforts with words like that. LeBron James did the things that were necessary for his team to win the 2012 championship. Nothing more, nothing less.

[benji]

He did things that were necessary for this league to be successful, nothing more, nothing less.

What "more" could he have done?

Other than not buying the Hornets.

[NovU]

Each to his own I guess. After all he was the man for 40 years and NBA has blossomed. And if that suffices most peoples' standard in defining a great commissioner, that's fine. Nothing to argue about in that context.

And here's to further our discussion with one of my disappointment on Stern...
The progression of the NBA as a business is apparently the biggest legacy of Stern's tenure. He is heralded as a financial mastermind and the league has gone global. Which is all fine and well, but I have my personal doubts what has been traded-in for the sake of business. I mean there were a lot of controversial moments that needed rather better crysis handling, such as lottery fix claims, game fix claims, and referee issues, which all in my opinion happened in favor of business side and needed better explanation. And of course not much of it will define his career as a commissioner as they can be easily dismissed as false conspiracy-eque theory. But all in all I have no doubts that Stern played much bigger role for business side of this league.

[[Q]]

and for his final act, he will get the Kings to move to Seattle

[Andrew]

Each to his own I guess. After all he was the man for 40 years and NBA has blossomed. And if that suffices most peoples' standard in defining a great commissioner, that's fine. Nothing to argue about in that context.

What would be your criteria for determining whether an individual is a good commissioner or not?

[hova-]

NovU:
The NBA is a business - sport is a business, that's how it is. Although the NBA defines itself as a non-profit-organization there are still the teams and also the players who want to earn money out of the sport of basketball. That's what you call a business. People try to live from the league (and I guess it works very very well for them).
And Stern did a good job running that business - the NBA is successfull. What else should he do?

[Andrew]

I don't think the NBA classifies itself as a non-profit organisation. It's certainly no charity.

[benji]

I don't think the NBA classifies itself as a non-profit organisation.

It does. It's a 501(c) 6 I believe.

[_Steve_]

Two lockouts during Stern's reign weren't especially good for business but looking at the NHL and NFL it seems inevitable in professional sports these days.
It might have helped Stern that the same time he took over as a commissioner that year's #3 draft pick turned out to become the greatest basketball player ever.
But I simply do not believe that all off Stern's success was just by accident...

[Andrew]

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

[benji]

It's because the teams are the businesses. The NBA itself is just an association they're members of. Like a local chamber of commerce or something.

The league only has operating expenses (since all the "profit" is technically distributed to the teams) and thus doesn't pay any taxes.

[Andrew]

The 5 Biggest Issues Adam Silver Will Face As NBA Commissioner

[shadowgrin]

it was the NBA that attracted me when I was still very young and I don't think this would have been possible with a league full of gangsters and drug addicts as well as bad presentation/advertisment.

That certainly is a sweeping generalization and most of here didn't even witness the 70's.

[Andrew]

It's a generalisation but by Bill Simmons' account, not entirely inaccurate.