The Waterboy
Jeff Yoder | Sports Co-Editor
This is not a column titled after the 1998 comedy with Adam Sandler. It's a place to take a break from the action, step over to the sideline and let me refresh you with a cold cup of sports knowledge. Every other week, I'll give a response to the professional and college sports worlds' latest controversy.
He began in the glory days. His first year was 1984, during the first epic battle of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. He took over during Magic versus Bird, and he'll step down during LeBron versus Durant. There were a few notables in between like Jordan, Malone and Bryant, but through all these players and their careers, one person remained constant. His name is David Stern.Stern began his stint as NBA Commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984, and he will retire on Feb. 1, 2014, exactly 30 years to the day. His decision was announced at an NBA Board of Governors meeting on Thursday.
"It's been a great run," Stern said. "It'll continue for another 15 months. The league is in terrific condition."
Stern will be replaced by his right-hand man, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver.
Though Stern did a lot for the NBA in his 30 years, younger NBA fans won't have fond memories of Stern. From his butchering pronunciation of the names of foreign draft picks to last year's lockout, the fourth lockout of Stern's tenure, his shy camera presence and his grandfatherly slow speech won't be missed.
Other than hand-picking his own replacement in Adam Silver, a guy who's almost as awkward in front of a camera as Stern, there are some reasons to thank the Commissioner for what he's done for the NBA over the last 30 years.
The NBA had struggled to find its home in the sports world until Stern transformed it to a multi-billion dollar business. You could argue that it took that leap because of guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, but we'll give the credit to Stern.
He took an American game and molded it into a global sport, as the NBA is now available in 47 languages and more than 200 countries. Far more foreign-born stars lace the NBA than 30 years ago, yet we still win the Olympics in our sleep.
Stern took the league's charity efforts to a new level with the increased awareness of organizations like NBA Cares.
He oversaw the establishment of the WNBA and the NBA Developmental League as well as the addition of seven teams and the relocation of six teams, most recently Seattle to Oklahoma City.
As Stern's time comes to an end and Silver tries to fill some big shoes, let me leave you with one final NBA advancement made by Commissioner David Stern: the anti-flop policy.
Flopping has become a huge problem in recent years and was the subject of much controversy in the 2011-12 playoffs. The NBA released the rules of their new anti-flop policy on Oct. 3.
A flop was defined as "any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player." The first violation of a flop will result in a warning to the player. Violations two through five will result in fines from $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the violation. Six or more violations will be punished by the NBA as they see fit, most likely in suspensions.
With the flops cleared up, the lockout from a year ago controlled and the league in "terrific condition," it's time for the end of an era. The NBA will be handed over to Adam Silver a year from this February. Because we have an outrageous 15-month notice to say goodbye to David Stern, try to remember some of the good things he's done for the NBA over the past few decades.
