Toronto Raptors: David Stern’s impact on franchise everlasting

Former NBA commissioner David Stern passed away and with the NBA  paying tribute to his work, we remember the role he played for the Toronto Raptors.

The news of David Stern’s death on Wednesday sent a shockwave around the sports world and one place that certainly knows the impact of the work the former NBA commissioner is up here in Canada with the Toronto Raptors.

Without the hard work of Stern, who knows if or when the Raptors would become a franchise and have an everlasting impact in Canada. Sure, the Vancouver Grizzlies joined Toronto as the first NBA expansion teams in Canada but that did not last long with the team moving to Memphis.

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For years, the NBA was seen as a league that was more prominent in the United States and did not understand the reach it had on the international level until Stern made it a point to expand its reach. It is something the NHL, NFL, and MLB are just now trying to explore.

While many would say that hockey remains Canada’s sport, basketball has certainly come a long way in popularity with the Raptors’ championship parade and the celebrations across Canada as evidence.

Usually, commissioners aren’t the most popular among fans especially if fanbases believe they don’t have their team’s best interests at hand but Stern made sure to put the league’s best interests first. Players certainly have a lot of praise for the efforts Stern made to make the league one of the more profitable in pro sports.

You can only imagine how many professional athletes would like to earn the salaries NBA players do especially those who aren’t among the elite. Not only are those players making millions on the court but most are thriving elsewhere especially with their own business ventures.

Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment has certainly seen the benefit of owning the only NBA team in Canada considering the revenues the league draws just from the broadcast deals alone. Paying roughly $125 million for the Raptors in 1994, according to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, the value of the franchise has fone up significantly to more than $2 billion (USD) which is close to what the Toronto Maple Leafs are worth.

Stern made sure the Raptors were set up for success from the start despite the team having shaky management and a reputation that took time to overcome. Now, many players from Canada can dream about a career of playing basketball professionally which was never really the case back in the day.

Thankfully, Toronto was given a chance to prove its value as a prominent basketball market and you can bet Stern will always be proud of what the team has become and hopefully, the city can continue to thrive and grow as the Raptors continue to achieve success.