Former NBA commissioner David Stern undergoes emergency surgery after brain hemorrhage

Jack Baer
Updated
National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern addresses the audience after being presented with a W.E.B. Du Bois Medal during an award ceremony at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013. Harvard has awarded the medal since 2000 to people whose work has contributed to African and African-American culture. Six people were recipients of the award for 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
David Stern led the NBA for three decades. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former NBA commissioner David Stern underwent emergency surgery on Thursday after a brain hemorrhage, the league announced.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Stern collapsed at a restaurant in New York City and was rushed to the hospital.

The 77-year-old Stern took over as NBA commissioner in 1984 and oversaw the league’s rise from a struggling entity to an international sports powerhouse.

By the time he handed the reigns to commissioner Adam Silver in 2014, basketball as a spectator sport was an international sensation with fans across the globe. His tenure wasn’t without controversy and missteps, but any league would take the growth the NBA experienced under Stern.

Several current and former players showed their support for the ex-commissioner, with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson saying Stern helped save his life.

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