David Stern Essay

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David Stern’s Strategy

In the 1984 NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Star Game, there was a combined 1 player out of the two 12-man rosters that was born outside of the United States. That was pretty much the norm for the NBA back then. However, if you fast forward 38 years to the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, there was a record-setting 12 international players (“NBA All-Star"). It was not that the internationally born players in the league just got that much better over that time span, moreover, it was the fact that there were so many more in the league comparatively. There is one key reason (or person) to credit for the globalization of the NBA’s players and the organization as a whole, and his name is David Stern. In 1984, the NBA announced …show more content…

He was able to form global scouting teams assigned to different regions/areas of the world, but he did not stop at that. He established international offices all over the world – the first being in London, Unite Kingdom in 1992. This was vital to globalization because he was basically putting people on the ground around other cultures, which in turn allowed them to scout more players internationally and spread the popularity of the league. Furthermore, Stern started collaboration with FIBA in preseason tours in which NBA teams would play against international teams (Merrill). This allows international basketball fans to get an up-close look at teams and the players on them without leaving the comfort of their country. David Stern was so in tune with getting international draft prospects into the league as fast as possible that he changed the age limit eligibility to 19 years old, instead of the previous rule of 22 years old. He implemented international combines and scouting events in other countries to hand-pick talent. Now only getting international players is not just what Stern aspired for, he knew that the following that came with them would be the true reward. When a player like Hakeem Olajuwon came to the league and dominated like he did – winning 2 NBA championships and 2 MVP awards – it allows for other Nigerian born players and fans to hold and express more pride for the