So, who was it that resurrected a moribund league known as the NBA in the 1980s?

Was it Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and their transcendent rivalry?

Was it the jaw-dropping skills of the greatest player of all-time, Michael Jordan?

Or was it a little Jewish guy who started his working life behind the counter of his family's New York deli - David Joel Stern?

After tiring of cutting sandwiches, Stern went off to law school and had his first contact with the NBA in 1966 as outside legal counsel and slowly but steadily ingratiated himself into the organization.

Providentially, in 1984 he took over as commissioner from Larry O'Brien - just at a time when Larry and Magic were in their primes and MJ, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton were all drafted.

It's better to be lucky than good, and many of Stern's detractors claim he rode Jordan's coattails through a period of unprecedented success for the league.

That would be over-simplifying things.

Magic and Bird and their Lakers and Celtics made the game an American coast-to-coast affair, and Jordan's brilliance thrust the NBA onto the international stage, but it was Stern who artfully harnessed and marketed the talent and product.

More businessman than lawyer in his new role, he chose a process of consolidation then expansion, consolidation then expansion.

Under his leadership, seven new franchises were created while five others were relocated and 28 new stadia were built.

He also oversaw the start of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), which is sort of a reserve competition for the NBA.

However, among his many achievements, what probably gives him most delight is the NBA's increased global appeal. When he took over in '84, the game was barely seen beyond US shores - and certainly not live.

Now, NBA games are televised in 215 countries - including China - and in 43 languages. The growing franchise also boasts 11 overseas offices, including one here. Meanwhile, the number of foreign players squeaking their sneakers on NBA courts grows year by year.

Of course, it hasn't all been smooth sailing for the man who looks like a kindly uncle but is tough as nails. He's been involved in four NBA lockouts as "The Commish" ,and the latest one nearly saw the entire 2011-12 season scrapped. He represented the cry-poor owners against the players and eventually, after numerous acrimonious talks, wheedled concessions out of the millionaires for his billionaires.

During the impasse, Stern allegedly said during one meeting he "knew where the bodies are buried (in the NBA)", because he put them there.

He also, more recently, quashed a major trade deal involving the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets and the powerful LA Lakers, which brought down a hail of media criticism and conflict-of-interest charges.

Autocratic - yes. Arrogant - maybe. But when the names of those who turned the NBA around and made it one of the greatest shows on earth are writ, Stern's deserves to be placed alongside Bird, Magic and Jordan.

Tym Glaser is a senior sports copy editor who could really go for a bagel right now. He can be contacted at tymothyg@hotmail.com

(China Daily 02/12/2012 page8)