10 Most Important Ways David Stern Changed The NBA

4. Reaching The Global Stage

At the time of this piece being written current Commissioner Adam Silver and his staff are discussing the possibility of a division outside of the United States. They are also discussing where will host their next tour of regular season games. The NBA is Global, and Stern brought this to the fore.

It was Stern who recognized that his game was a minotaur. He knew from the outset that taking his beloved league to the world would offer incredible opportunities. Starting with a modest approach - hosting one-off exhibition games in the summer months, or increasing the number of countries the sport was broadcast in- the 1992 Olympic games (more on that later) was a triumph in that it delivered the world’s greatest stars to the lives of previously shunned young aspiring athletes all over the globe.

The number of foreign born players in today’s NBA is more than five fold compared to that of 20 years ago, with that figure only growing. Young players were inspired by steps taken from David Stern, and witnessing current MVP Giannis Antentekoumpo - Nigerian Born, Greek International - is the prime example of that.