The NBA commissioner is arguably the most powerful figure in the entire league. Tasked with making sure the league runs smoothly without any problems, the NBA commissioner must make tough decisions and hold players accountable when they make mistakes.
Former NBA commissioner David Stern took this responsibility very seriously. In a 2011 article, Adrian Wojnarowski, then working for Yahoo! Sports, wrote about David Stern meeting with the NBPA during the 2011 NBA All-Star Game break. Stern told the room that he knew “where the bodies were buried” because he buried some of them himself.
Stern was sending a message to the players that he would do anything and everything in order to protect the sanctity of the league. Derrick Rose, then playing for the Bulls, told Woj that he was shocked by what Stern said.
“It was shocking… I was taking off my gear, and when he said that, I just stopped and thought, ‘Whoa… I couldn’t believe that he said it.”
Stern was a no-nonsense commissioner, who would not allow any player or figure in the NBA to jeopardize the league. And as a result, he could often be quite the intimidating figure for members of the league.
David Stern Was Much Stricter Than Adam Silver
David Stern was the judge, jury, and executioner for the NBA, and whenever players stepped out of line, he would make sure to send them a message in the right way. Carmelo Anthony revealed how he found out David Stern and the NBA had deep connections after a conversation with him early in his career.
After Stern’s retirement, Adam Silver became the new commissioner of the NBA. Many fans have noticed that, unlike Stern, Adam Silver is a lot more lenient on players, and doesn’t hand out the massive punishments that Stern would during his tenure.
Most recently, Adam Silver had to deal with Ja Morant, who had multiple incidents of him waving a gun around on Instagram Live. Morant was handed an 8-game and 25-game suspension respectively for both incidents. Many believe that if Stern were commissioner, he would’ve come down much harder on Ja Morant.
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