In the future, the value of Silver will rise. Well, at least that of deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who was hand-picked as current commissioner David Stern's successor. Stern announced his intent to retire yesterday, effective February 1, 2014, which would mark the 30th anniversary of his tenure. Silver, Stern's kemosabe for 6 years and an NBA employee for 20 years, was approved unanimously by the league's owners. Stern has been grooming Silver like a labrador for when he heads out the door.
Silver is mostly known to fans as the man who earns artificial applause when he announces the second round of the NBA draft, simply for not being Stern*. Stern first stabilized, then strengthened the league, before spreading it across the seven seas. He polished up the league's image as much by punishing players, through drug testing, as by promoting them, which is what he did with the superstars who started their careers simultaneous to the him: Jordan, Barkley, Olajuwon.
Stern's legacy is largely laudable. He grew the game domestically and internationally - attracting alien TV audiences and athletes, creating Canadian clubs, adding seven franchises, founding a farm system in addition to a women's league, which is bad for business, but great for gender equality and goodwill. However, he did preside over four lockouts, let teams leave supportive cities Seattle and Charlotte (basketball has been brought back to the latter, barely), decreed a dress code with class and racial undertones and adjudicated which L.A. team was allowed to acquire Chris Paul last summer.
If the NBA truly is "where amazing happens," we're the first to admit a lot of that amazing happened under David Stern's three-decade reign. The stars made the sport fun, but Stern made it function. What can we say? We love this game! (and we're easily seduced by slogans)
*a contrarian crowd in New Jersey, who would've thought?
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