David Stern, dead at 77, transformed the NBA into a global powerhouse. He also helped ease the stigma of HIV.

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern
(Image credit: Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

David Stern, who fundamentally transformed professional basketball during his 30 years as NBA commissioner, died Wednesday. He was 77 and had suffered a brain hemorrhage Dec. 12. When Stern took over as head of the NBA in 1984, the NBA championship game was such a non-event that a few years earlier no network would even broadcast it live. By the time he stepped down in 2014, the NBA was a $5 billion-a-year global juggernaut and basketball one of the world's most popular sports. "David Stern earned and deserved inclusion in our land of giants," said the National Basketball Players Association, with whom Stern sometimes sparred.

Stern oversaw the creation of the WNBA and the expansion of the NBA to 30 teams from 23. The players helped popularize the sport, of course: When Stern took over, the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, led by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, respectively, had captured the nation's attention, and Michael Jordan joined the NBA a few months after Stern was named commissioner.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.