The last couple of days for Jerry Colangelo were full of flashbacks. Flashbacks to breakfasts and dinners. Flashbacks to talking about basketball, but also to talking about family. Flashbacks to Italy and to Arizona and to Beijing. Flashbacks all to his friend, David Stern. 

“David and I are walking down the streets of Milan, having the conversation regarding the earlier days,” Colangelo recalled. “And here we were, walking the streets of Milan. So, you know flashbacks, you can’t help but have a flashback. … Many memories, many.”

Stern, who passed away Wednesday at age 77, served as commissioner of the NBA for 30 years, bringing the league significant growth and global impact. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage back on Dec. 12 and underwent emergency brain surgery.

“He lived a very full life, a very productive life,” Colangelo told The Arizona Republic in a phone interview. “He was as tough as they come in terms of negotiations, street-educated to some degree. Tough New York mentality and his leadership qualities were extraordinary. But behind all of that was a man who had compassion and cared about people very much.”

Colangelo and Stern had a “50-year relationship,” dating back when Stern was an attorney for Proskauer Rose, a law firm that represented the NBA. He would work in and around the league for years until he was named commissioner in 1984. 

Colangelo would go on to own the Phoenix Suns and serve as director of USA Basketball, before currently serving as Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Stern was inducted into that Hall of Fame in in 2014

As each climbed up in the world of the NBA, they saw their relationship grow, too. 

“Relationships evolve,” Colangelo said. “And, you know, there’s a business, and you take care of business, but when business is done, there could be a personal relationship if there’s a spark. And we hit it off extremely well together.

“He was a big supporter of me when I was trying to put a group together to buy the Suns back in ’87. And I certainly appreciate that and look back on that as a big step in my journey.”

Stern was also instrumental in helping found the WNBA and the G League. The Mercury and the Suns released a joint statement lamenting his loss. 

“His stewardship helped transform the pro basketball landscape in Arizona, granting downtown Phoenix two NBA All-Star Weekends and naming the Mercury as one of the eight original WNBA franchises,” they wrote. 

When Stern did retire, he did so as the longest-tenured commissioner in the history of the NBA and of any of the major sports leagues in North America. Adam Silver took over after learning from Stern for years, ensuring that Stern’s fingerprints will remain on the league for years to come. 

“So when you look at the NBA and what what is happening currently, that’s part of David Stern’s legacy,” Colangelo said. “… So as the NBA continues to grow and expand and increase its enormity in the professional sports industry, the bigger it gets, the more David’s legacy grows.”

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 480-356-6407. Follow her on Twitter @kfitz134.

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