10 Most Important Ways David Stern Changed The NBA

2. The Dream Team

The Year is 1991. The Olympic games are approaching the following year, and the American squad had been left somewhat embarrassed by results to “lowly” Eastern European outfits at prior tournaments. This was in large part to The United States not being permitted to enter its NBA players due to the “Amateur Only” rule of the Olympics, an issue of much contention. Step up, Mr David Stern.

Seeing this is an opportunity to affect change with a much broader brush than first thought, Stern fought for (and ultimately succeeded in) the right to have his NBA stars compete at the games given that other countries were permitted to do so. Thus we have, the creation of the Dream Team.

The roster, comprised of arguably the greatest collection of talent assembled on one team, took to the court in a history-defining moment as they ran through the competition with relative us. Little did they know however, Stern had made the NBA Global by dismantling barriers to worldwide access for both players and fans; now fans all over the globe had their sights set on the world’s best hoopers.