David Stern Quotations

I think that players play, and they compete, and it's not about incentives.

Everyone knows that if you can keep on making money, everyone's happy.

I'm not big on looking back beyond the moment in which decisions and events occur. I'm always pushing forward.

I love my job. I come every day having a ball.

By nature, I'm a person who always says that whatever I've done, I could've done better. But I don't dwell on it because I'm waiting for the next time something happens and try to believe that my past experience will have helped to educate me in terms of how I deal with future ones.

You will ultimately be defined by the sum total of your responses to circumstances, situations and events that you probably couldn't anticipate and indeed probably couldn't even imagine. So just keep your eyes on the course and be ready to move in different directions depending upon the crises and opportunities with which you are faced.

I regret the 1998 - 99 lockout. I regret that we didn't work harder to educate our players and our owners about what the damage would be. I never can quite come up with the answer on what else we should have done, but I always blame a part of the problem on us and some part on the players.

I think anyone who doesn't say that they'd like people to think that they're doing the right thing is wrong. I mean, I'd like it to be that way, but I've never allowed it to influence my actions.

I would say the referees have the toughest game to call. I would say that there's a lot of officiating done by announcers, local announcers. Sometimes you should listen to a game from both feeds, and you'd think you were listening to completely different games.

You walk into the playgrounds in Shanghai and Beijing, and you see youngsters who are shorter, shaking and baking and having attitude. And Jeremy Lin is going to inspire all of them.

I've never found NBA owners to be deferential. I never considered them to be reliant. All that I do is knock myself out to represent their interests the best way I can and sometimes tell them, as part of my job, what they don't like to hear.

I believe that everyone should participate in democracy and enjoy doing it.

My own basketball background was ripping up my ACL in a lawyer's league.

All I can say is you don't know what's going to be on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. So I take no joy in what happens to another sport, whether it's about a perfect game or an issue of conduct.

I actually don't hope for a legacy. I think that it impedes your ability to make the hard decisions if you sit around saying, 'How will this affect my legacy?'

I think it's... I don't want to become a social crusader on this issue, but I think sports, male sports, has traditionally not been an inviting environment for gay men to identify themselves. But eventually... we will get to a place where it is not an issue in sports.

I'm aware that the World Cup is probably the greatest spectacle in the world of sport, and that's despite the referees that have been found to have fixed games specifically.

I'm persuaded that sports is the one place where the rules are pretty well set out, where fans are equal. And if you got game or you're a good official, you make it here, whether you're white or you're black.

Our officials want nothing more than to be at the top of their professional game and make the correct call. That's what they do; that's their living, that's their pride, that's their joy. They don't achieve that because they happen to be human.

We have a broad array of teams. And if somebody asked me whether a team is a good buy, my response is, Youd better hurry up, theyre going like hot cakes, and theyre going to be even more valuable when we get a system that is even more sustainable.

We need a system where all of our teams have the opportunity to compete and to make a few dollars. That's not a bad desire for collective bargaining for a sports league, and it's great for our fans.

Free speech is against governments, not against the NBA. So the players and coaches and indeed owners have been fined for their speech, which is costly rather than free. I sort of acknowledge that there is not free speech when you agree to work in the NBA.

We couldn't get enough Jeremy Lin material in the NBA store fast enough. And when we did, it was just gone in minutes.

I grew up in an age where women's tennis did not have similar prizes to men, and they played in complete obscurity, really, compared to the men's game.

The only record we have are your notes and your recollection.

The perception problem was there, and therefore it was real, ... We were focusing on that issue even before the brawl, but it certainly was an exclamation point in terms of perceptions of NBA players. We've got to do a better job of both acknowledging it and working to correct it.

We are pleased to have these renowned franchises represent the NBA in the most ambitious international competition in league history.

We're getting to a place where we have to make a decision relatively soon. I would hope by the end of next week we'll have something to say.

What he said was he had a conversation with a referee. I found that unacceptable and (also) his declining to identify him. ... He accepted the fine and acknowledged the statement that he got a call from an NBA referee was, shall I say in error, inaccurate. That makes it over.

We're going to Las Vegas because we think it's a great destination city. They have removed the All-Star events from the betting line, and we think that we have no problem with people who want to go there and gamble.

Usually I come into the office and say, 'Will someone please time the last three minutes of this game that took 22 minutes and tell me why? I'm not sure that we're showing our fans our best basketball.

We've got an extraordinary number of good cops at the NBA.

What we're doing here is largely symbolic. But it tells everyone that we've got to help. We've got to do better.

There are different uniforms for different occasions. There's the uniform you wear on the court, there's the uniform you wear when you are on business, there's the uniform you might wear on your casual downtime with your friends. . . . We're just changing the definition of the uniform that you wear when you are on NBA business.

What we came up with is a dress code that even Mark Cuban could comply with - if he wanted to.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think we'll go to the Olympics if bird flu is pandemic? There may be a thousand different reasons why the world tomorrow will not be the same as it today. All you can do is set things in motion and plan to follow through on them. And we are planning to go back to New Orleans.

Send him to jail and he'll be forgotten. Kill him and you guarantee him immortality.

Of all the cities, Oklahoma City was the best geographical match in terms of travel for our teams. If the Hornets do well in Oklahoma City, we expect that they would not return economically hobbled.

Maybe he's learning how much it means to him.

Neither my wife nor my two sons would agree with that. In fact, they would take strong issue with it.

Obviously, there will be issues no matter what the system is. But it's been a pretty good system. We've done pretty well by it and it by us. I'm sort of disinclined to change it, but maybe something will emerge from a little data-mining that will suggest that we have it all wrong, or a little bit wrong, and then we'll make the change.

Obviously, there will be issues, no matter what the system. I'm sort of disinclined to change it, but we're going to get the data, and maybe something will emerge from a little data mining that will suggest that we have it all wrong, or a little bit wrong, and then we'll make the change.

NBA teams have embraced the NBA Development League as a place to give their young roster players the opportunity to improve and as a source for game tested talent in case of injury. As a result, more investors are seeking to bring the D-League to their communities.

I am quite on record as saying that Seattle has the least-competitive lease in the league and is at a decided economic disadvantage. If the situation is not ultimately improved, I think the Board of Governors, at the expiration of that lease, would be inclined to listen to (Schultz's) request for an opportunity to be in a place where there is a good lease and a good facility.

Basketball without Borders is truly a global program that transcends all boundaries. It unites young people from diverse cultural, national and economic backgrounds on four continents.

From everything we have seen and heard, we have little doubt that New Orleans will soon regain its place among the world's premiere cities for hosting major sporting events.

For the week of the all-star celebrations we are going to see a merger between the basketball capital of the world and the entertainment capital of the world. We're looking forward to what we think will be one of the best all-star celebrations of all time.

If the head of the referees' association were smart, he would stop issuing press releases.

He's grateful he's been given a chance to live his life. Like all human beings he has good and bad.

He will be functioning as usual for the next eight months. But we agreed that it was appropriate to let the board of governors know his plans as far in advance as possible.

He has probably traveled more on our behalf than any other ballplayer.

Have you been around South Beach? Most of the people I see with chains are elderly Jewish gentlemen. I don't know what he's talking about. There's no rule we have that doesn't affect several hundred young African-American men. You can't play the race card here without having it flipped back at you.

Having only the team logo and the NBA logo helps reinforce our brand. I won't say it's a 'forever' policy; but right now, those are the only marks that appear on the NBA uniform.

The ramifications could go beyond this particular case.

There is an enormous amount of economic activity here. But the thing you can't get away from is that certain aspects of the reconstruction seem to be stalled. You have to see the devastation to understand its scope and impact.

He described the virtues of Oklahoma City ? what it had been through on the tragic side and how it was rebuilding and how sports had been a part of that.

Killing people doesn't accomplish anything. We as a country and we as a state know what justice is.

I would say to Byron let me make that decision and he should focus more on basketball. And if you see him, tell him that. We're going to be back.

I would say that the city is making it pretty clear of what they want us to do, and we'll accommodate them.

It beats getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick.

I think it's fun to have the discussions about Kobe. I think it's a terrific water cooler subject. Can he go for 100? Can he outscore a team by himself?

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Charlotte back into the NBA, since we appreciate how supportive their fans have been in the past. We are particularly excited to have Robert Johnson as our newest owner. Bob has shown a great understanding for building a new company, and we are confident in his ability to develop a strong NBA organization.

It happens at least probably 5 percent of the time.

I think there are probably 1.3 billion reasons why China is important. And given the fact that basketball is the number one team sport among the kids in China, so it will seem to be natural that as China grows, so will the NBA business here grow.

I think Dave has a very keen understanding of assets and their values. I understood him (buying the Blues) as a sign of great confidence he had in the new NHL model and ... that he thought he would be able to buy the team and profit on it. And I have no doubt that he will.

Our goal is to make the officiating perfect, at 100 percent. We have not and we never will achieve that result. But I think we have the best officials, the best-monitored officials, the best-developed officials in all of sports.

Our attendance record is further evidence of the extraordinary connection that exists between players and fans. We are thankful for our fans continued support and passion for the game.

Realm Realty is agreeable to the 'right in and right out' restriction and is awaiting the county's comments to that drawing. I would think that a deceleration lane, right in - right out, headache bar and sidewalk should appease most everyone. We do appreciate all the input we have received and have diligently worked to try to incorporate many of these suggestions.

Our position is not a moral crusade against gambling. It's just about betting on basketball.

Our minor league has a proven track record of developing talent both on and off the court, with more than 100 players, coaches, referees, athletic trainers and front-office personnel moving to NBA teams or the league office, and we look for that trend to continue.

I think he's living up to those expectations and doing better than a lot of people thought he would, the so-called basketball experts.

I think he's a great player and I hope he has an All-Star season, ... I wished him well before, visited him a bit. And he's made an already-strong Pacer team even stronger. They feel pretty good about their roster right now.

I think he's a great player and I hope he has an All-Star season, ... He's made an already-strong Pacer team even stronger. They feel pretty good about their roster right now.

I think he's a great player and I hope has an all-star season. I wished him well. We visited a bit. He's made an already strong Pacer team even stronger. I think they are feeling pretty good about their roster.

I think he's a great player and I hope has an all-star season, ... I wished him well. We visited a bit. He's made an already strong Pacer team even stronger. I think they are feeling pretty good about their roster.

Maybe if you earn less than eight million dollars you'll get a scholarship from the commissioner,

The Arkansas ownership and management team combines an established and successful local businessman in Larry Crain with an experienced and knowledgeable basketball mind in Otis Birdsong.

That would be a terrible thing all around. I doubt they want it to get to that point. Because I have seen it go bad. It would be too bad if there weren't a rational discourse to see whether something could be worked out.

I was pleased to find somebody analyzing pro sports, as thought to be a business. I was impressed with his professionalism and his understanding of the key drivers in our business. His conclusions were all wrong, but that led to some friendly and heated debate, and that was the start of our friendship.

We've got teams that have been through stretches of difficulty. As fast as you can spell Clippers.

We have a minimum standard that we've set that reflects on the professionals in our sport, and you're going to do it, ... We're certain that it will be complied with.

We have the assets, the resources, the marketing and business operations to make this work. This is what we're geared to do.

We haven't had excessive fisticuffs. These are things that commissioners worry about. And truth be told, our player reputation in the testing that we do is rebounding quite well from a year ago.

Unfortunately, the arena owners have not offered any constructive response to these efforts and recently advised us that they are satisfied with the status quo. Accordingly, we have advised both parties that we have withdrawn from the process.

We'll look at it. Even in figure skating, there is some quality of mercy that maybe should be allowed. Maybe it's one or two (misses). Maybe it's three.

We are saddened by the news of Jason Collier's sudden passing, ... He epitomized hard work, dedication and perseverance, and more importantly compassion, kindness and selflessness.

We're not going to be crazy. We just want our players to dress up,

Those are decisions best left to elected officials, but there are choices that have to be made.

Everyone said that the NBA could not possibly make it because it had too many black players.

With every day that goes by, there will be further reductions on what's left of the season

Follow your dreams and make the most of every experience.

I'm working hard to see whether there can be basketball next year.

Smart drafting is a wonderful thing. A smart free-agent signing is a wonderful thing. Smart trades are a wonderful thing, and that's a function of management.

I would say the league is viable as long as you have owners who want to continue funding losses. But it's not on the long term a sustainable business model that we're happy to be supporting. It needs to be reset.

It`s not the NBA Finals, it's not even a regular-season game. It's the All-Star game, it's a celebration. A celebration of talent, speed, grace. Let`s put it on display and have some fun.

Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.

We're just changing the definition of the uniform that you wear when you are on NBA business,

We think the nature of our fan would change dramatically because (inside) information becomes, you know something, you make a bet, somebody tells you something else and perhaps you even go away from the game unhappy because the home team won but they didn't cover.

(The playoffs are) a road you have to follow if you want to be considered among the great ones, because it demonstrates that you're either making the players around you better or management is putting better players around you in order to showcase your talent longer into the playoffs.

But more important, as the smoke rises from the incense burned by men and women, their consciousness rides the smoke and blends with the divine emanations of cosmic light, allowing a brief spiritual attuning with the Divine Consciousness.