10 Most Important Ways David Stern Changed The NBA

5. Removing Hand Checking

Much of the current crop of younger fans can be attributed to them watching superheroes like Stephen Curry, Trae Young and others, with this free-flowing, higher tempo, exciting brand of basketball we have today. The common denominator in the factors that have lead to this brand of hoops? The removal of hand checking.

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s scoring averages were trending downward at a startling rate. This was sighted as a major contributor to diminishing crowds (after an influx of new fans as a result of the 1980’s new-found stars) and dwindling television ratings, at least amongst the more casual audience. It was during this time that Stern pined for a way to speed the game up and make it more exciting. He took a number of steps to achieve this - the defensive 3 second rule, shortening the 3pt line, just a couple of examples - with his decision to remove hand checking in 2004 proving to be his most outlandish and defining action yet.

It was no coincidence that one the league adopted a rule set which meant that any hand contact would be a foul, that the subsequent seasons brought with them a new brand of play and new stars rising to the forefront of the returning casual viewer. Steve Nash - a 6’1 wiley point guard - was crowned back-to-back MVP, a byproduct of his ability to now run a fast-paced, high-octane offense with much less physical resistance.

This has formed the basis for how the game is played in the current era, and is widely thought of by many to be a wise long-term choice.