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National Basketball Association David Stern began working in a law firm that represented the NBA after finishing at Columbia in 1966, starting what has become almost 40 years of association with the league. In 1978, Stern became the NBA's General Counsel, and by 1980 was Executive Vice President of the NBA. On February 1, 1984, Stern became the fourth Commissioner of the National Basketball Association. It was during that same season (1984-85) that four of the NBA's biggest superstars — Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton — entered the league. It was the arrival of Michael Jordan—and with it his flair, skill, marketability and Nike shoes—that most influenced Stern and the NBA's new wave of greatness. Jordan and the two other premiere basketball legends of the 1980s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, took the game to new heights of popularity and profit. By 2005, Stern had seen the NBA grow to 30 franchises, expand into Canada, televise games across the United States, and move into new fields and nations. The NBA now has 11 offices in cities outside the United States, is televised in 212 nations in 42 languages, and operates the Women's National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League under the guidance of Stern. David Stern also makes sure that all U.S. states with NBA franchises and the province of Ontario, are not to have casinos and lotteries that distribute NBA basketball betting. He wishes his league to simply be a "fun league". Criticism/Controversy Stern has been derided by analysts who claim that by instituting strict penalties for rules violations, he has turned the NBA into a nanny state. Outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has constantly poked fun at the record fines he has amassed for what he considers minor infractions. Following an infamous brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004, Stern issued some of the longest suspensions in the history of American professional sports. Stern's apparent justification for the uncommonly long suspensions was the three Pacers having attacked NBA fans, as opposed to other players or NBA associates. Ron Artest (suspended for the season) and Stephen Jackson (suspended for 30 games) both went into the stands to fight with fans. Jermaine O'Neal (suspended for 25 games, reduced to 15 on appeal) punched a fan who had gone onto the court, but O'Neal never entered the stands. By contrast, Ben Wallace, who received a suspension of 6 games, fought only with opposing players on the court. In the late 1960s when Connie Hawkins fought against the ban instituted by the NBA to play in the league, Stern was among the attorneys who represented the NBA that fought against him in the ensuing league battle. Stern also received criticism in 2005 for negotiating a labor agreement that did not introduce any major change in the NBA system. Some feel that the existing "soft" salary cap is ineffective in maintaining a competitive balance between teams and holding down the escalation of player salaries. Stern had said he wanted to play it safe and avoid a lockout like that seen in the 1998–1999 season, but he was faulted by some for not taking advantage of the momentum from the NHL lockout settlements where the National Hockey League emerged with a new and strict "hard" salary cap. Recently, Stern instituted a dress code for NBA players that met with some criticism. The new dress code was considered, by some, to be racist because it forbids hip hop fashion and urban dress. However, it should be noted that all types of clothing that are not (at least) business casual, have been banned, affecting every player of every race. Throughout Stern's tenure, disgruntled fans of teams eliminated from the playoffs have accused him and the NBA as a whole of rigging the league so large-market teams with popular players will get to the NBA Finals. This belief, despite much evidence to the contrary (for instance, the 2003 and 2005 NBA Finals, both of which featured two small market teams without marketable stars), continues to be given life by players on eliminated teams, fans of those teams, talk radio hosts, and those who generally dislike and disparage the NBA. Trivia | ||||||||||
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