David Stern is widely credited with transforming the NBA into a global powerhouse during his tenure as commissioner. However, not every player viewed his leadership favorably. Players often accused Stern of running agendas or having bias. While it’s bold to stand against the NBA commissioner, some players took that risk.
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One such critic is Rasheed Wallace, known for his candidness and fiery demeanor on the court. In a 2023 conversation on the Sheed & Tyler podcast, Wallace talked about Stern and how his fake image was propagated in the public as he was a completely different person.
When asked how he feels about him, he said, “He’s not one of my favorite people.” That was a gentle way of separating himself from Stern, which became evident in the things he said later. Wallace recounted a personal incident from the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. The four-time All-Star revealed that while Stern was giving a speech, he told the players around him that the commissioner wouldn’t talk to him personally.
“He went around the whole room…right to the next man, skipped right over me, and started talking. Motherf***ers just started cracking. I said, I told y’all,” Wallace said. He claimed that Stern deliberately ignored him during the customary pre-game handshakes, a gesture Wallace interpreted as a sign of lingering resentment. Wallace had criticized the officiating in the league, but that wasn’t the only thing he held against Stern.
He took issue with the financial disparities within the league’s hierarchy, highlighting that Stern earned approximately $26 million annually, surpassing even the highest-paid players like Shaquille O’Neal, who made around $19 million at the time. Wallace questioned the fairness of a system where the commissioner out-earned the athletes who were the league’s main attraction.
David Stern has been called out by other players as well
While most people fondly remember Stern for making the NBA a global phenomenon during his stint, there are several players who have a different perception of him. Dwight Howard is on the list of players who didn’t like Stern. During a recent conversation with Lou Young, Howard called him the “Real deal mafia.”
He recalled Stern telling players during the All-Star break, after which there was going to be a lockout, that he wasn’t afraid of anyone, to their faces. While these are personal grudges, John Salley has accused Stern of favoritism and pushing an agenda.
During an appearance on Vlad TV seven years ago, Salley claimed that Stern pushed the Jordan agenda in the 80s and 90s. He said, “What’s the difference with Michael is Michael came to the NBA with David Stern. He came in with a brilliant agent, a brilliant lawyer who realized he had a product to sell. And in developing that product, we had to now make this product the Messiah.”
Salley believes that Stern played a major role in making MJ not just the face of the NBA but a global superstar, as it helped his cause.
