David Stern was elected commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in February 1984. He is the fourth commissioner since the NBA's establishment in 1949.

Under Stern's leadership, the NBA has added six franchises, and its revenues have increased fivefold (through the year 2001). With Stern at the helm, the NBA has become a television staple, the WNBA women's professional league was successfully launched, and NBA offices have been opened in eight cities outside North America, with NBA games televised in 175 countries.

During his tenure, Stern's hand appears in virtually every matter that has shaped the NBA and provided blueprints for other professional sports organizations. He was key to the 1976 landmark settlement between the NBA and its players that led to 'free agency"; to the collective bargaining agreement that introduced revenue sharing and the salary cap; to pro sports' first anti-drug agreement; to development of NBA Properties as the League's marketing arm; and to the creation of NBA Entertainment.

David Stern's association with the NBA began in 1966, when he became its outside legal counsel. He joined the League in 1978 as general counsel and, in 1980, became its executive vice president.

Recent Events

"(JTA) — David Stern, who in three decades as NBA commissioner guided the league from financial distress to become a multibillion-dollar global enterprise, died Wednesday. He was 77."

"His philanthropy through the Dianne and David Stern Foundation with his wife included a number of Jewish causes, according to Inside Philanthropy." Read the full article online.