David Stern quotes

David Stern was an American businessman best known for serving as the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His leadership transformed the NBA into a global sports and entertainment powerhouse. He played a pivotal role in expanding the league’s reach and influence around the world. Here are 13 of his quotes:

You will ultimately be defined by the sum total of your responses to circumstances, situations and events that you probably couldn't anticipate and indeed probably couldn't even imagine. So just keep your eyes on the course and be ready to move in different directions depending upon the crises and opportunities with which you are faced.

David Stern

I'm not big on looking back beyond the moment in which decisions and events occur. I'm always pushing forward.

David Stern

Free speech is against governments, not against the NBA. So the players and coaches and indeed owners have been fined for their speech, which is costly rather than free. I sort of acknowledge that there is not free speech when you agree to work in the NBA.

David Stern

I think that players play, and they compete, and it's not about incentives.

David Stern

Our officials want nothing more than to be at the top of their professional game and make the correct call. That's what they do; that's their living, that's their pride, that's their joy. They don't achieve that because they happen to be human.

David Stern

Smart drafting is a wonderful thing. A smart free-agent signing is a wonderful thing. Smart trades are a wonderful thing, and that's a function of management.

David Stern

You walk into the playgrounds in Shanghai and Beijing, and you see youngsters who are shorter, shaking and baking and having attitude. And Jeremy Lin is going to inspire all of them.

David Stern

We have a broad array of teams. And if somebody asked me whether a team is a good buy, my response is, Youd better hurry up, theyre going like hot cakes, and theyre going to be even more valuable when we get a system that is even more sustainable.

David Stern

It was the Michael Jordan/Nike phenomenon that really let people see that athletes were OK, and black athletes were OK. Defying a previous wisdom - not only that black athletes wouldn't sell in white America, but that the NBA as a predominantly black sport could not sell in white America.

David Stern

I would say the referees have the toughest game to call. I would say that there's a lot of officiating done by announcers, local announcers. Sometimes you should listen to a game from both feeds, and you'd think you were listening to completely different games.

David Stern

I think it's... I don't want to become a social crusader on this issue, but I think sports, male sports, has traditionally not been an inviting environment for gay men to identify themselves. But eventually... we will get to a place where it is not an issue in sports.

David Stern