David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020)

David Stern was a businessman and lawyer who served as the fourth
commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) He started
with the league in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978
as General Counsel, and became the league’s Executive Vice President
in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984, succeeding Larry O’Brien
and is credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s
and 2000s.

In a statement, the NBA said Stern had died "as a result" of a brain
hemorrhage he suffered Dec. 12.