Many fans are curious about David Stern's financial success in April 2026. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What Was David Stern's Net Worth?

Over his 30-year tenure as commissioner, Stern transformed the National Basketball Association into a hugely popular global sensation and profit engine. During the 1982-83 season, the NBA's total revenues were a paltry $118 million. In 2013, league revenues topped $5 billion. In 2016, league revenues topped $8 billion. Back in 1983, the Sacramento Kings sold for $10.5 million; in May 2013, the same team sold for $534 million. When David took over, the NBA playoffs were only shown on tape delay (of course, there also was no internet to spoil the outcome). Today, nearly every game is televised live in 215 countries. Stern is also famous for dealing with several NBA lockouts when the league and its players could not agree on salary compromises.

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What was David Stern's annual salary when he served as commissioner of the NBA? $20 million.

After graduating from Columbia's law school, Stern joined the law firm Proskauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendelsohn, which is known for representing the NBA. With the firm, David was the lead attorney in the case of Robertson vs National Basketball Association, a landmark lawsuit launched by star playerOscar Robertson. In 1978, Stern left the firm to become the NBA's General Counsel under Commissioner Larry O'Brien. Two years later, he was promoted to the position of NBA vice president for business and legal affairs, putting him in charge of public relations and marketing. It was during this time that David helped drive two landmark agreements with the NBA Players' Association: a team salary cap and mandatory drug testing. In regard to the latter, the NBA became the first major North American sports league to implement drug testing.

David Stern was a lawyer and business executive who had a net worth of $135 million at the time of his death in 2020. David Stern was the Commissioner of the NBA from 1984 to 2014. Among other achievements, he is credited with cultivating and broadening the NBA's audience through training camps, international recruitments, and an increase in broadcasting and digital presence. Stern retired after 30 years as the longest-tenured commissioner in the history of major sports leagues in North America.

Stern became the Commissioner of the NBA in February of 1984. Rather than focus on marketing the league's teams, he decided to emphasize the power of star players such asLarry Bird,Magic Johnson, andMichael Jordan. David's business acumen did wonders for the league, as he was able to turn declining viewership into substantial global growth. One of the ways he did this was by creating an international presence for the league, such as offering Argentina Channel 9 the rights to air weekly NBA highlights and shipping VHS tapes to China's state-run television station. Stern also significantly expanded the league's audience by setting up international training camps and exhibition games and by recruiting more players from around the world. During his tenure, the NBA opened 12 offices outside of the United States and broadcast to over 200 territories in more than 40 languages. Additionally, a total of seven new franchises were added to the league during Stern's tenure, including the first Canadian teams, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Early Life and NBA Career Beginnings

Stern announced his retirement from the NBA on February 1st, 2014. He was succeeded by protegeAdam Silver.

David Stern was born on September 22, 1942, in New York City, New York. He was one of three children in a Jewish household. His parents, Anna and William, raised him in Teaneck, New Jersey. As a kid, Stern was a fan of the New York Knicks and often attended games with his father at Madison Square Garden. He went to Teaneck High School, and then to Rutgers University, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in history in 1963. Following this, David attended law school at Columbia University, earning his J.D. in 1966.

In summary, the total wealth of David Stern reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.