Iconic NBA Commissioner David Stern Dies

David Stern, who is credited from taking professional basketball from a distant third amongst major league sports to right at the top, is dead at 77.
Stern was NBA commissioner from 1984 until 2014. At the time he took on the job, there were questions on whether the league could survive.  Stern watched income grow and the league expand.  He is widely credited in promoting superstars like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley.
Stern was generally well received by fans around the league until the unexpected sale of the Seattle Super Sonics to a group from Oklahoma City.  Stern was very critical of this area's attempts to prevent the team from leaving it's home of 40 years.  On the other hand, he was not supportive of later efforts to return an NBA team to the area.