For students, David Stern is only NBA commissioner they've known

NBA Commissioner David Stern, the only commissioner college-aged NBA fans have ever known, will step down during the 2013-14 season.

David Stern, the only commissioner college-aged NBA fans have ever known, announced his retirement Thursday.

Stern, 70, will step down Feb. 1, 2014 -- exactly 30 years after he took the job.

The length of Stern's tenure is unparalleled -- the longest of any commissioner in North American sports history -- and there's no denying the imprint he had on the league and the game.

That being said, some college students feel it's time for him to walk away.

"It's time to hang it up," said University of Minnesota senior Jake Schwartz in reference to Stern's retirement. "I don't think he was capable of [retiring] 10, 15 years ago."

Schwartz, 21, said it's the perfect time to retire because of the way marketable stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have elevated the league's popularity.

Under Stern's guidance, basketball became a global game; NBA games are broadcast in more than 215 countries worldwide.

Alex Christopherson, a 20-year-old junior who attends Kirkwood Community College in Iowa City, Iowa, said he will most remember Stern for his role in globalizing basketball.

"The players are the ones who get the credit, but someone had to market them correctly," Christopherson said.

Team USA's domination of international competition in the 1992 Olympic Games is often credited for the game's international popularity.

But Christopherson said Stern deserves credit, for letting NBA stars (Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, among others) participate -- something they hadn't been able to do in years prior.

Stern also expanded the league to 30 teams, where it stands today, and implemented NBA Cares and Basketball Without Borders, two charity organizations.

"He really wanted to set a standard of what he believes is the right way to represent the NBA," Schwartz said. "[NBA Cares] is emphasized multiple times during every NBA game. [The league] supports kids in need. That's pretty impressive. They do that better than any [other] national sports."

The '92 USA men's team and NBA Cares can be considered highlights of the Stern era. But it has certainly had some lowlights as well.

Former referee Tim Donaghy was involved in a gambling ring that included fixing games. There were two lockouts (1998-99, 2011-12) which resulted in games being canceled. And then, of course, the infamous Malice at the Palace in 2004 -- a vicious brawl between the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and several fans attending the game.

The mix of the positives and negatives prompted 20-year-old Austin Razavi to label Stern as "a good commissioner," not because of anything he did, but "because the game's at an all-time high.

"I think there's plenty of people that could have made it what it is today," said Razavi, a junior at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. "But I don't think Stern has taken anything away from the game to make it less popular. In a sense, that's his job."

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver will succeed Stern and have a chance to one-up his soon-to-be successor.

NBA owners unanimously approved Silver to be the heir to the proverbial throne and Razavi said he's optimistic about what Silver brings to the table.

"I'm intrigued to see what he can do," Razavi said. "I want to see if any changes will be made ... or will it be more of the same?"

We'll find out come 2014.

Sam Gordon is a Fall 2012 Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.