10 Most Important Ways David Stern Changed The NBA

8. The NBC Deal

1979-1980. The significance of this year? Well, this is seen by many of the first real catalyst for a progressive, growth mindset for the NBA. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson played a national college finals matchup in a game view by record numbers, numbers that bested the NBA finals from the entire decade. Something needed to be done.

Capitalising on the ready-made narrative of Bird vs Magic the NBA saw its viewership grow rapidly throughout the 1980’s. It was by the 1990’s however that Stern and his team had increased viewership to heights that rivalled the SuperBowl.

A paramount focus for Stern, he aggressively pursued television contracts with the likes of ABC and Turner Sports. It was in 1990 that his most crucial deal was struck, cementing a future with more exposure for the league with an agreement with NBC to showcase an ever-increasing range of content. NBC would become his first major television success, with the NBA now being shown all over the world across multiple platforms with ABC, Turner and ESPN, enabling the league to be a commercial juggernaut.