David Stern

NBA Chief David Stern Slams Bryant Gumbel For Calling Him a 'Plantation Overseer'
By Tim Graham | June 12, 2013 | 1:56 PM EDT

Outgoing NBA commissioner David Stern granted an interview to Lee Hawkins of the Wall Street Journal on June 7, and Hawkins asked him about Bryant Gumbel’s characterization of Stern as a “plantation overseer” during the most recent contract negotiations with the NBA players union in 2011. He actually said Stern "always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer treating NBA men as if they were his boys."

Stern slammed back, saying his works for the NBA "dwarf any contribution Bryant Gumbel has made" in bringing diversity in ownership and wealth for black players:

MSNBC's Ed Schultz Recommends NBA Players Be Banned from Gun Ownership
By Brad Wilmouth | January 6, 2010 | 5:13 AM EST

On Tuesday's The Ed Show, MSNBC host Ed Schultz fretted that NBA players who own firearms are setting a bad example for impressionable young people who may be inspired to emulate their athletic heroes and purchase guns of their own as he called on NBA commissioner David Stern to impose a rule that, "If you want to play in the NBA, you can`t own firearms because with the visibility comes the responsibility..."

Schultz conveyed his fears about young people being influenced by athletes who own guns (video below page break):

I`ve often wondered, why doesn`t David Stern, who`s been the commissioner of the NBA for a long time, just put his foot down and say, "If you want to play in our league, you can`t own firearms. We are in the image business. We`re not in the thug business. We`re in the business of making sure that we send a good message to the youth of this country"? And I`ll guarantee you that there’s probably some kid out there saying that, well, gosh, I can own a handgun because my favorite player on this NBA team does. That's how kids think.

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Tuesday, January 5, The Ed Show, on MSNBC: