Pat Riley Among Those To Speak At Funeral Of Former Commissioner David Stern
Miami Heat team president Pat Riley was among the dozens of NBA royalty to attend the funeral for former league commissioner David Stern Tuesday in New York.
Stern passed away Jan. 1 following a brain hemorrhage three weeks earlier. He was 77.
Riley was among those who spoke at the funeral.
“He understood what culture meant and how to build one,” Riley told USA Today. “Culture is nothing more than people who have shared visions of how to move forward and what is next.”
The memorial drew an estimated 5,000 people to Radio City Music to honor one of the greatest figures in league history. Among those in attendance were NBA greats Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Bernard King, Steve Nash, Bill Walton, Dikembe Mutombo and Magic Johnson. Other Heat representatives included team owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra and general manager Andy Elisburg.
The impressive roll call was there to pay their respects because Stern was credited for revitalizing the NBA in the early 1980s. He served as commissioner from 1984 to 2014 before retiring and being replaced by Adam Silver. Under Stern, the league grew to a $5 billion a year industry and became the world's second-most popular sport behind soccer.
“David Stern was the best professional sports commissioner ever," Riley said at the time of Stern's death. "What David did for the game of basketball was unparalleled. Everyone involved in the game during his tenure benefited in a massive way. I personally was one of them."
