LeBron James praises former NBA commissioner David Stern for taking basketball global

LeBron James shared some emotional words on his Instagram page following the death of former NBA commissioner David Stern on Wednesday.

“I will never EVER forget when you called my name on stage and I shook your hand. My dream came true!!!” he wrote. “Thank you for your commitment to the beautiful game of basketball that has changed so many young adult/kids lives.”

“More importantly,” James continued, “your vision to make our game become WORLDWIDE was a vision only you could make happen! You did just that.”

Stern died Wednesday as a result of a brain hemorrhage he underwent December 12, which required emergency surgery.

Speaking after the Lakers win over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, he also told reporters, “He definitely should have something named after him. Either if it’s an award, or, I don’t know, a day? During the course of an NBA season, there’s a ‘David Stern Day.’ I don’t know. We can figure it out.”

James has long sang Stern’s praises.

In 2014, after the NBA finalized a $24 billion television deal with TNT and ESPN, James told reporters, “(Stern) built our brand and for us to make a television deal like that for that type of money, that’s a lot of his vision.”

Stern was a ‘history maker,’ says Magic Johnson

James isn’t the only one who spoke fondly of Stern after his death.

Magic Johnson, legendary guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, called Stern a “history maker.”

“When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world,” he wrote on Twitter.

Scottie Pippen, another legendary NBA player, called Stern’s death a “sad day for basketball.”

“We saw David Stern a lot in the 90s and I found him to be kind, thoughtful and almost always the smartest person in the room,” he wrote. “He was an innovator who helped grow our sport into a global game and his impact will never be forgotten. RIP, Commissioner.”

Stern became the NBA Commissioner in 1984, a role he held until his retirement in 2014. Under his leadership, the NBA grew into a multibillion-dollar business, globalizing the game as it became the first professional sports league to play regular-season games outside the US.

Stern also oversaw the creation of the WNBA, which started play in 1997.