Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons

1 2 3 4 Total Indiana 34 25 21 17 97 Detroit 27 16 23 16 82
Date	November 19, 2004
Arena	The Palace of Auburn Hills
City	Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance	22,076

The Pacers–Pistons brawl (colloquially known as the Malice in the Palace)^[1][2] was an altercation that occurred in a National Basketball Association game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers on November 19, 2004, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

With less than a minute left in the game, a fight broke out between players on the court. After the fight was broken up, a drink was thrown from the stands at then Pacers player Ron Artest while he was lying on the scorer's table. Artest then entered the crowd and sparked a massive brawl between players and fans.

The repercussions led to nine players being suspended without pay for a total of 146 games, which led to $11 million in salary being lost by the players. Five players were also charged with assault, and eventually sentenced to a year of probation and community service. Five fans also faced criminal charges and were banned from attending Pistons home games for life. The fight also led the NBA to increase security presence between players and fans, and to limit the sale of alcohol.

Before the brawl[link]

The meeting between the two teams was a rematch of the previous season's heated Eastern Conference Finals, which the Pistons won in six games en route to their first NBA title since the "Bad Boys" era of the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[3] Because of this, the game received much hype from the media and fans. Having won two games in a row, the Pacers came into the game with a 6–2 record, while the Pistons, the defending champions, began their season 4–3. The game was televised nationally on ESPN,^[2] as well as on the Pacers' and Pistons' local broadcast affiliates, Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Detroit.

The game, like many previous meetings between the two teams, was dominated by defense. The Pacers got off to a quick start, opening up a 20-point lead with seven minutes to go before halftime. The Pistons managed to cut into the lead, trailing by 16 points by halftime. The Pistons opened the third quarter with a 9–2 run, but the Pacers ended it with a buzzer-beating three-pointer and a layup from Jamaal Tinsley heading into the fourth quarter. Richard Hamilton and Lindsey Hunter started the last quarter with consecutive three point field goals, as the Pistons cut into the lead again. But Stephen Jackson's back to back field goals pushed the lead back to 93–79 with 3:52 remaining, essentially putting the Pistons away.^[4] Despite the lopsided score near the end of the game, most key players on both teams remained in the game.^[5]

The Pacers were led by the 24-point effort of Ron Artest, who scored 17 in the first quarter. Jermaine O'Neal notched a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tinsley had 13 points, eight assists and a career-high eight steals. Hamilton led the Pistons with 20 points. Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace both recorded a double-double. Despite being outrebounded by the Pistons, the Pacers managed to shoot 41% from the field.^[6]

Altercation[link]

The brawl began with 45.9 seconds remaining in the game, when Indiana led the game 97–82. Piston center/forward Ben Wallace was fouled hard from behind by Pacer forward Ron Artest during a lay-up attempt. (Wallace later said that Artest had warned him he would be hit.)^[2] Wallace responded by shoving Artest with both hands, which led to a physical confrontation between several players from both teams.^[7][8]

Pistons coach Larry Brown was not yet very concerned, because fights in the NBA rarely lasted for more than a few seconds. During the argument, Artest lay down on the scorer's table while putting on a headset to pretend to speak with radio broadcaster Mark Boyle. The microphone was not live. Boyle recalled that the broadcasting team knew Artest's personality and "there was no way we were going to put an open mic in front of [him] in that situation". Pacers president Donnie Walsh later claimed that Artest was following advice he had received on how to calm down and avoid trouble in a volatile situation. A Pistons executive later stated, however, that Artest's action encouraged audience participation by removing the usual physical barriers, such as tables and benches, between fans and players. After unsuccessfully attempting to break up the confrontation, referees prepared to eject various players once the game resumed.^[2]

90 seconds after Wallace shoved Artest, most of both teams' players and coaches huddled at midcourt, attempting to calm down Wallace.^[2] (Tayshaun Prince was the only player on either team to not leave the bench during the entire incident; others became automatically eligible for one-game suspensions.^[9]) Artest remained on the table with the headset; his appearing to give an interview angered Wallace, who threw an armband at Artest.^[2][9] A spectator, John Green, then threw a cup of Diet Coke^[10] at Artest while he was lying on the table, which hit Artest in the chest.^[7] Green later claimed that he had not intended to hit anyone but "forgot about the laws of physics." The player responded by running into the stands and grabbing, but not hitting, a man whom he mistakenly believed was responsible. Boyle, who was trampled while attempting to hold back Artest, suffered from five fractured vertebrae and a gouge on his head.^[8] Wallace's brother David, who was near Artest on the table, hit Artest.^[2] In retaliation for the cup thrown at Artest,^[11] teammate Stephen Jackson also ran into the stands shortly after and threw punches at fans, and eventually players from both teams entered the stands while many fans spilled out on to the court to escape the altercation.^[7]

The teams had stopped fighting; now the fans were fighting the Pacers. Another melee started when Artest was confronted on the court by two fans, Alvin "A.J." Shackleford and Charlie Haddad.^[2] Artest punched Shackleford and knocked over Haddad in the process. O'Neal intervened by punching Haddad in the jaw after a running start;^[7] the punch would have been much more powerful had O'Neal not slipped in liquid, but observers briefly feared that O'Neal would kill Haddad. O'Neal later claimed that arena security had ordered Haddad to leave the arena because of a history of fights. Well-known sports figure William Wesley pulled Artest away from the fans,^[2] but the scene became chaotic and outnumbered arena security struggled to reestablish order.^[7] Although Auburn Hills police had plans to handle many disorders, and had three officers in the arena, they were unprepared for players entering the stands.^[2]

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the game "I felt like I was fighting for my life out there", one reporter who attempted to stop Tinsley from entering the stands recalled that the player "went through me like I was butter", and NBA Commissioner David Stern, watching the game on TV, recalled that he said "Holy [mouths a swear word]". (O'Neal later said, "As bad as it looked on TV, it was at least 20 times worse in person.") Pacers assistant coach Chuck Person compared the situation to being "trapped in a gladiator-type scene where the fans were the lions and we were just trying to escape with our lives. That's how it felt. That there was no exit. That you had to fight your way out." Players' children and others in the audience cried from fear and shock. Derrick Coleman stood near Brown and his ball boy son to protect them.^[2] The remaining seconds of the game were called off and the Pacers were awarded the 97–82 win.^[5] More beverages and debris were thrown at Pacer players and other personnel as they were escorted from the court by police, including a folding chair by a father of six children^[2] that was thrown across the crowd that had assembled on the court. Fans cheered as Piston players left the court.^[8] No players from either team spoke to the media before leaving the arena. Eventually police officers were able to swarm the arena, threatening to handcuff those who wouldn't leave.^[8] Nine spectators were injured, and two were taken to the hospital.^[12]

In the Pacers' locker room, O'Neal and Carlisle almost got into a fight over whether the coaches should have intervened. Artest asked Jackson whether the players would get in trouble. He responded "we'll be lucky if we have a freaking job", and the conversation convinced an amazed Jackson and Scot Pollard that Artest "wasn't in his right mind, to ask that question." Auburn Hills police entered the locker room to make arrests, but the team rushed Artest onto the bus and refused to take him off. The police decided to protect the Pacers as they left the arena, and to later contact the team after reviewing game film.^[2] Outside of the arena, there were dozens of police cruisers lining on the roads out of the parking lots.^[8]

Charges[link]

Suspensions[link]

On November 20, 2004, the NBA suspended Artest, Jackson, O'Neal, and Wallace indefinitely,^[12] saying that their actions were "shocking, repulsive, and inexcusable".^[13] The following day, the NBA announced that nine players would be suspended for a total of what eventually became 146 games—137 games for Pacers players and nine games for Pistons players.^[14] David Harrison was also seen fighting with fans, but the NBA stated that he wouldn't be suspended because "the incident occurred as the players were attempting to leave the floor".^[15]

Artest was given the longest suspension; he was suspended for the remainder of the 2004–05 NBA season, a suspension which eventually totaled 86 games (73 regular season and 13 subsequent playoff games), the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.^[14] The players suspended also lost in excess of $11 million in salary due to the suspensions, with Artest alone losing almost $5 million.^[16]

In the week following the announcement of the suspensions, the players' union appealed the suspensions of Artest, Jackson, and O'Neal, saying they thought that commissioner Stern had "exceeded his authority".^[14] (Jackson felt that despite losing millions the players were fortunate, however, as Stern could have expelled them from the league.^[2]) A federal arbitrator upheld the full length of all suspensions, except that of O'Neal, which was reduced to 15 games.^[17] However, the NBA appealed the decision of the arbitrator to reduce O'Neal's suspension in federal court, and on December 24, a judge issued a temporary injunction allowing O'Neal to play, until a full hearing was held on the NBA's appeal.^[18]

O'Neal played in two more games before the NBA's case was brought before the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York on December 30. The NBA argued that under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Stern had absolute authority to hand out suspensions and hear appeals for all on-court incidents. But the judge ruled that because O'Neal's behavior was an off-court incident, arbitration was allowed under the CBA, and thus the arbitrator was within his rights to reduce the suspension.^[19] Despite O'Neal's successful appeal, no further appeals were made to reduce Artest's and Jackson's suspensions.

Legal charges[link]

Green was identified by county prosecutor John Gorcyca, who had been his neighbor.^[2] On November 30, eleven days after the brawl, Green and Charlie Haddad were banned indefinitely from attending any events at venues owned by Palace Sports and Entertainment (the owner of the Pistons and then of sports properties in Tampa Bay) and had their season tickets revoked.^[20] Green had several previous criminal convictions, including counterfeiting, carrying a concealed weapon, felony assault, and three drunken driving convictions,^[21] and he was on court-ordered probation from a DUI conviction at the time of the brawl.^[22]

On December 8, 2004, five Indiana players and five fans (Green, William Paulson, John Ackerman, Bryant Jackson, and David Wallace, Ben Wallace's brother) were charged for assault and battery. Player O'Neal and spectator Green, who Gorcyca said "single-handedly incited" the brawl by throwing a cup of liquid at Artest,^[11] were charged with two counts, and Artest, Harrison, Jackson, and Anthony Johnson were charged with one count each. Three fans, including David Wallace, received one count of the same charge; two fans (Haddad and Shackleford) who entered the court during the fight were charged with trespassing, and Bryant Jackson, who had prior criminal convictions, was charged with felony assault for throwing a chair.^[23] All of the fans involved were banned from attending Pistons games.^[24]

On March 29, 2005, Bryant Jackson pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge for throwing the chair, and on May 3, 2005, he was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.^[25] David Wallace was also convicted, and sentenced to one year of probation and community service for punching Pacer guard Fred Jones from behind.^[16]

All five players who were charged pleaded no contest to the charges. On September 23, 2005, Artest, O'Neal, and Jackson were all sentenced to one year on probation, 60 hours of community service, a $250 fine, and anger management counseling.^[26] A week later, Harrison received the same sentence,^[27] and on October 7, 2005, Johnson, the last player to be charged, received a similar sentence (he was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service).^[28]

On March 27, 2006, a jury found Green guilty on one count of assault and battery for punching Artest in the stands, but acquitted him of an assault charge for throwing the cup. On May 1, 2006, Green was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years' probation.^[29] On November 7, 2006, the Pistons issued a letter to Green informing him that he was banned for life from attending any Pistons home games.^[30]

Aftermath[link]

Public reaction[link]

Several NBA players and coaches said the brawl was the worst fight they had ever seen,^[31] and even Pacers fans began to refer to the team as "the Thugs".^[32] In the post-game commentary on ESPN's NBA Shootaround, ESPN studio analysts laid the blame on the Piston fans. John Saunders of ESPN referred to the fans as "a bunch of punks",^[33] and Tim Legler said that "the fans crossed the line".^[34] Stephen A. Smith stated that "some of them (the fans) should be arrested as far as I'm concerned".^{[35][dead link]} Their commentary prompted ESPN vice president Mark Shapiro to place calls to host Saunders, as well as analysts Legler, Smith, and Greg Anthony. Shapiro felt their commentary was biased. The following Tuesday, Shapiro stated, "I wish the studio hadn't laid the blame solely on the backs of the fans Friday night."^[36]

Although a significant portion of media criticism was directed at the Pistons fans, only 46% of the voters in the ESPN SportsNation poll believed that the fans were to blame for the incident.^[37] Other commentators said that Artest and the other players involved were to blame.^[12][38][39]

Events after the brawl[link]

The Pacers and Pistons played for the first time after the brawl on December 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pistons won 98–93 without any incidents. Neither Artest nor Jackson played, due to their suspensions; O'Neal played in his first game back after the arbitrator reduced his suspension to 15 games.^[40] Three months later, on February 17, 2005, the NBA imposed new security guidelines for all NBA arenas. The new policies included a size limit of 24 US fl oz (710 ml) for alcohol purchases and a hard cap of two alcoholic beverage purchases for any individual person, as well as a ban of alcohol sales after the end of the third quarter.^[41] They also later ordered that each team put at least three security guards between the players and the fans.^[16]

On March 25, 2005, the Pacers played at The Palace for the first time since the brawl. The game was delayed 90 minutes after a series of bomb threats were aimed at the Pacers locker room, but the game eventually started after no explosives were found.^[42] Two of the key figures in the original incident missed the game, as Artest was still suspended and O'Neal had an injured shoulder. In the game, the Pacers stopped the Pistons' twelve game winning streak with a 94–81 win.^[42]

A year after the brawl, Ron Artest was traded to the Sacramento Kings.

In the playoffs, Detroit entered as the second seed of the Eastern Conference, and Indiana as the sixth. After the Pistons defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games,^[43] and the Pacers upset the third seed Boston Celtics in seven games,^[44] the two teams met in the second round. Although the Pacers went ahead two games to one,^[45] the Pistons clinched the series in six games with three straight wins.^[46] After eliminating Indiana, Detroit advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.^[47]

After serving his suspension of the rest of the 2004–05 season, Ron Artest returned to the Pacers at the beginning of the 2005–06 season. But after playing only sixteen games, he demanded to be traded, and the Pacers put him on the injured list.^[48] The Pacers' Walsh said that Artest's demands were "the last straw",^[48] and many Pacers players who had fought in the brawl to help their teammate felt betrayed.^[2] After more than a month of inactivity, Indiana traded Artest to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojaković.^[49] Artest faced Ben Wallace for the first time after the fight in November 2006, and finally made his return to Detroit in January 2007. During the Kings' 91–74 loss to the Pistons, Artest was booed constantly, but there were no unusual incidents.^[50] After a year's stop with the Houston Rockets in the 2008–09 season, Artest signed with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[51]. He won his first NBA championship in 2010^[52] and later donated his ring to charity. On September 16, 2011, Artest legally changed his name to Metta World Peace.^[53][54]

As of the 2010–11 season, only one of the nine players that were suspended after the brawl is still with his original team—Ben Wallace, who signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent in 2006, later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and rejoined the Pistons on August 7, 2009.^[55][56] Five players—Billups, Artest, Jackson, O'Neal, and Johnson—were traded to other teams,^{[49][57][58][59]} three players—Miller, Campbell, and Coleman—have retired.^[60][61][62] The Pistons advanced to four straight Eastern Conference Finals after the brawl, and six straight overall, making them the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s to advance to six straight conference finals^[63] though they only won the championship once in that streak. However, after losing to the Pistons in the 2005 playoffs, the Pacers have not finished above .500 and missed the playoffs for five straight seasons from 2006 through 2010. In 2011, the Pacers returned to the playoffs.^[64] Many Pacers from the 2004–05 season believe that the brawl and its consequences ruined a potential championship team, with Artest as the cause. The Pacers have attempted to rebuild by obtaining "character guys" as players.^[2]

On November 19, 2009, John Green, one of the fans who sparked the brawl, appeared on ESPN First Take, where he talked about the incident and the changes he had made since then. Green recounted that he had an alcohol problem at the time and had since made an effort to deal with that. He also said that Ron Artest had apologized to him several months earlier, and wished to work together in some type of community service in Detroit.^[10]

See also[link]

• National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies
• List of violent spectator incidents in sports
• Knicks–Nuggets brawl
• Sparks–Shock brawl
• Bonn–Bamberg basketball brawl

References[link]

External links[link]

• Video of the brawl from Fox Sports Net Midwest via MSNBC.com

David Stern
Born	David Joel Stern (1942-09-22) September 22, 1942 (age 69) New York City, New York U.S.
Ethnicity	Jewish
Occupation	NBA Commissioner

David Joel Stern^[1] (born September 22, 1942) is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association 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. He is credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s and 2000s.

Stern has served on the Rutgers University Board of Overseers and is a Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.^[2]

Early life[link]

David Stern was born on September 22, 1942 in New York City, New York. He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey in a Jewish family, and is a graduate of Teaneck High School. Stern attended Rutgers University, where in 1960 he pledged to the Sigma Delta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. He graduated as B- dean's-list history student in 1963 and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1966, and was admitted to the bar in New York later that year after passing the state's bar examination.^[1]

National Basketball Association[link]

His first association with the NBA in 1966 was as an outside counsel at Proskauer Rose. In 1978, Stern became the NBA's General Counsel under Larry O'Brien. By 1980, he was Executive Vice President of the NBA. During this time, two landmark decisions were reached with the NBA Players' Association: drug testing and team salary cap.^[3] The drug testing dealt with the perception that most basketball players used drugs, that the NBA admitted it had a problem, and it was cleaning it up. The salary cap created a revenue-sharing system where owner and player were effectively partners. Both of these agreements solidified Stern's standing inside NBA circles.

On February 1, 1984, Stern became the Commissioner of the NBA, succeeding Larry O'Brien. It was during that same year (1984-85) that four of the NBA's biggest superstars — Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton — entered the league.

The arrival of Michael Jordan, in particular, ushered in a new era of commercial bounty for the NBA. With him came his flair and talent for the game, and that brought in shoe contracts from Nike which helped to give the league even more national attention.^[4] Jordan and the two other premier basketball legends of the 1980s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, took the game to new heights of popularity and profit. By 2004, Stern oversaw the NBA expand from 10 to 30 franchises (since 1966), expand into Canada, and televise games in countries around the world.

Stern also oversaw the creation of the WNBA, a professional women's basketball league. Stern has been credited for developing and broadening the NBA's audience, by setting up training camps, playing exhibition games around the world, and recruiting more international players.^[5]

The NBA now has 11 offices in cities outside the United States, is televised in 215 countries around the world in 43 languages, and operates the Women's National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League under Stern's watch.^[6][7]

Notable events during Stern's tenure[link]

• Building of 28 new arenas (10 since 1999)
• Relocation of 6 NBA franchises (Clippers, Kings, Grizzlies, Nets, Hornets and Sonics)
• 7 new NBA teams (Hornets, Timberwolves, Heat, Magic, Grizzlies, Raptors, and Bobcats)
• Ratification of the NBA Dress Code
• NBA Finals Trophy renamed to Larry O'Brien Trophy
• NBA Finals MVP Trophy renamed to the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• Four NBA lockouts (1995, 1996, 1998-99, and 2011)

Controversies[link]

Stern has been at the center of multiple controversies during his time as commissioner, with a noticeably more frequent trend in recent years.

During the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, the NBA used a system where seven envelopes representing the seven teams with the worst records were mixed in a tumbler, and then drawn by Stern one at a time to determine which of these clubs would get the 1st pick onwards up to the 7th pick. When these envelopes were added to the tumbler, two envelopes were put in forcibly, and banged against the edge, while all the rest were set in gently. When drawing the envelope for the 1st pick, Stern went for the one with a bent corner, which upon opening the envelope, it was revealed that the New York Knicks logo was inside. This fueled speculation of a draft fix, with the theory being that the NBA wanted to send the best player in the draft to New York to increase ratings in a large television market.^[8][9][10]

In the 1997 NBA playoffs, the NBA suspended five players following a brawl between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, which affected the outcome of that series. Some of the suspensions were required by a league rule, implemented under Stern, that provides an automatic one-game suspension to any player who leaves his team's bench during a fight. In the 2007 Playoffs from the Suns-Spurs Game, several players who left the bench and were not involved in the altercation were also suspended, prompting complaints from officials on both teams.^[11]

In 2000, it was revealed that the Minnesota Timberwolves had tampered with Joe Smith two years earlier by promising him a more lucrative contract in future years in exchange for signing him below market value so they could sign more players in the short-term. The NBA voided the last year of Smith's contract, fined the franchise $3.5 million and took away the Timberwolves' next three 1st-round NBA Draft picks.^[12] Although many believed that tampering is a common practice, Stern abided by arbitrator Kenneth Dam's ruling that the Timberwolves had signed the secret agreement, and denied that the league was making an example of the Timberwolves.^[13]

Before the 2005-06 season, the NBA announced a new dress code, which banned players from wearing headphones, chains, shorts, sleeveless shirts, indoor sunglasses, T-shirts, jerseys and headgear such as baseball caps during NBA-related public appearances. Allen Iverson criticized the policy: "They're targeting guys who dress like me, guys who dress hip-hop ... I think they went way overboard."^[14]

For the 2006-07 season the NBA introduced a new "microfiber" basketball for use in NBA games, replacing the previous style ball used since 1970. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban agreed with the need for a new ball, claiming the old style ball was inconsistent.^[15][16] Many of the league's most prominent players openly expressed their dislike for the new ball, such as Shaquille O'Neal who said, "Feels like one of those cheap balls that you buy at the toy store."^[17] A study, financed by Cuban, claimed that the new ball "bounces 5 to 8% lower than typical leather balls when dropped from 4 feet...[and] the new ball bounces 30% more erratically."^[18] However, Stern initially refused to go back to the original ball despite many complaints by players about the new ball.^[19] Two months into the season Stern stated that the new ball may have been a poor choice and poorly tested^[20] and "we could've done a better job".^[21] On December 11, 2006 the NBA announced that it would in fact switch back to the leather ball starting on January 1, 2007.^[22]

In 2007, Stern injected himself in the controversy surrounding the purchase and subsequent relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics by Oklahoman Clayton Bennett and his ownership group. His support for the surprising move from the nation's 14th-largest market to the 45th was questioned by many both in the public and media.^[23] Stern also led the NBA to intervene against a 2008 legal attempt by Howard Schultz to keep the team in Seattle.

Additionally, leading up to and lasting throughout the 2010-11 season, Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver made a number of statements regarding the drafting of a new collective bargaining agreement for the 2011-2012 season. During the All-Star game in Los Angeles, an open meeting between players and owners was held over the agreement, with David Stern quoted as saying that he "[knew] where the bodies are buried" in the NBA, because he had buried them himself^[24]. This raised eyebrows in the room, including that of all-star point guard and eventual MVP, Derrick Rose, who shared his disbelief with fellow reports. " I just stopped and thought, ‘Whoa …’" Rose said. "I couldn’t believe that he said it." This statement, coupled with others, served as a prelude to the labor dispute and later set the stage for a player lockout on July 1, 2011 that would last for five months.

On December 8, 2011, Stern vetoed a three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, Lamar Odom to the league-owned Hornets, and Pau Gasol to the Rockets for what a spokesman would only say were "basketball reasons"^[25]. Early reactions from around the league, fanbase, and media were all largely negative, with players taking to Twitter to express their concerns, and several noted sports journalists criticizing the decision^[26][27]. The decision came immediately after a deal to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement for the next decade was finally reached. Ostensibly, one of the aims of the agreement was to bring parity to the 30 teams in the NBA, while still facilitating player movement.

Personal[link]

David Stern has contributed to many Democratic Party (US) candidates since becoming NBA commissioner.^[28] In September 2010, he donated $1,000 to support a group opposing California's Prop 23, which would delay enactment of the state's landmark environmental law.^[29]

He is married to Dianne Bock Stern, and they have two adult sons.^[7] They reside in Scarsdale, NY.

References[link]