Put his name on the Executive of the Year Award. Make it the Stern Award. Any GM that can makes trades and build a great team without the NBA office shutting down their acquisitions should win the Stern Award.
The Magic and Bird rivalry gave the league something to sell, and it revived the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. But I remember watching some of Magic's NBA Finals games on tape delay in 1980, including his legendary Game 6. The same goes for Bird against the Rockets in 1981. These were two ready-made stars coming out of college, and Commissioner O'Brien couldn't even get the NBA FINALS on live TV. I'm not a David Stern apologist. His reign has been a mix of positives and negatives. The points you make are true. He benefitted from great timing and marketable stars. Nike, Gatorade and others helped boost the images of players. There's a similar argument against Phil Jackson being a great coach. Some people say anybody could have won 11 rings if they coached Jordan and Pippen or Shaq and Kobe. Maybe other coaches could have, but Jackson actually did win them. Similarly, it was Stern who used the advantages he was given and oversaw a period of tremendous growth. He took the NBA from a very low point to a very high point. He served as commissioner far longer than anyone and leaves the league in probably the best financial place it has ever been. His name belongs on the championship trophy much more than Larry O'Brien's.
There's two different conversations that need to be had with Stern.... 1. The marketability, profit, and globalization of the league. 2. The pureness of the game of basketball, the integrity of the game, and the competitive landscape for the teams within the league.
