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'Horrible loss': America devastated by NBA legend's tragic death

Reuters

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner David Stern, who oversaw the explosive growth in the popularity of the game during his tenure, has died at the age of 77, the league said on Wednesday.

Stern, who served 30 years as the NBA's longest-tenured commissioner before Adam Silver replaced him in February 2014, had been in serious condition after undergoing emergency surgery on December 12 in New York following a sudden brain haemorrhage.

Stern oversaw the NBA's extraordinary growth with seven new franchises, a more than 30-fold increase in revenue, a dramatic expansion of national TV exposure and the launch of the Women's National Basketball Association and NBA Development League.

He also had a role in many other initiatives that helped shaped the league, including a drug policy, salary cap system and dress code.

David Stern, pictured here at a media conference in 2013.
David Stern at a media conference in 2013. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

But Stern's greatest accomplishment as commissioner is widely considered to be the way he transformed the NBA, which at one time was largely an unknown commodity outside the United States, into a globally-televised powerhouse.

Under Stern's leadership, the league opened 13 global NBA offices and, in 1990, became the first US professional sports league to stage a regular-season game outside North America when the Phoenix Suns played the Utah Jazz in Japan.

“Without David Stern, the NBA would not be what it is today,” Michael Jordan told The Athletic.

“He guided the league through turbulent times and grew the league into an international phenomenon, creating opportunities that few could have imagined before.

“His vision and leadership provided me with the global stage that allowed me to succeed.

“David had a deep love for the game of basketball and demanded excellence from those around him — and I admired him for that. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

David Stern, pictured here with Michael Jordan in 1993.
David Stern with Michael Jordan in 1993. (Photo by Lou Capozzola/NBAE via Getty Images)

Stern also presided over four NBA lockouts, including two that resulted in shortened seasons in 1998-99 and 2011.

David Stern remembered as NBA ‘visionary’

Stern, who had remained affiliated with the NBA and held the title of commissioner emeritus, was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.

"David took over the NBA in 1984 with the league at a crossroads," current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, adding that Stern "ushered in the modern global NBA. “

“He launched groundbreaking media and marketing partnerships, digital assets and social responsibility programs that have brought the game to billions of people around the world.

"Because of David, the NBA is a truly global brand."

A number of other NBA personalities — including star players from past and present — also sent out touching messages honouring Stern’s legacy.