Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wrote a touching tribute on his social media account for the late David Stern.
The Los Angeles Lakers started 2020 on a high note, defeating the Phoenix Suns to keep their winning streak going. While winning the game was great, January 1st still felt like a loss for the Lakers and NBA as a whole.
The basketball world lost a visionary on Wednesday, as former NBA commission, David Stern, passed away. Stern was 77 when he passed.
He was hospitalized in December because of a brain hemorrhage.
There have been plenty of touching tributes and messages left about Stern, including by the Lakers’ official Twitter account.
The Lakers Organization is mourning the passing of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, whose unprecedented vision and tireless spirit made the game what it is today. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his wife, Dianne, and his family. pic.twitter.com/xY5rcoyJIQ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 2, 2020
Stern served as the league’s commissioner from 1984-2014. He is considered by many as the man responsible for saving the NBA and putting it on the path that it is currently riding today.
It was not too long ago that the NBA Finals were being shown on tape delay on television. Stern also oversaw some difficult times, such as teams were going bankrupt at a rapid pace and the Malice at the Palace. Work stoppages and lockouts occurred multiple times.
But, fast forward to today and players are signing record contracts and the league has expanded well beyond the United States. The game has grown internationally and a big reason for that is the efforts that Stern put in as commissioner.
Take a look around the league. There are international players leading teams and dominating on a nightly basis. Giannis Antetotkounmpo, of Greek descent, is the reigning MVP. Luka Doncic, of Slovenia, is taking the league by storm. Virtually every franchise in the league has an international player on the roster nowadays.
Lakers superstar, LeBron James, also left a touching tribute on his Instagram account, recounting his dream coming true when being selected No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft and thanking Stern for advancing the game that he loves so much.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6y6_Y3ALRP/
This isn’t the first time that James has praised the work done by Stern. Back in 2014 when the NBA agreed to a tv deal with ESPN and TNT that would pay $24 billion over nine years, James gave credit for Stern building the brand and said that it was a lot of his vision coming to fruition that made players as much as they were.
The New York City native was replaced as commissioner by Adam Silver in 2014 but continued to serve as commissioner emeritus until his death this week.
James is just one of the many people who have honored Stern since his passing. Every team and player in the league will continue honoring him, as they will wear commemorative black bands for the remainder of the season on their jerseys.