David Stern left a great, but complicated, legacy that is part of the fabric of the NBA

Four lockouts, two that wiped out games

Four times during David Stern’s tenure as NBA commissioner, the owners locked the doors on the players during collective bargaining. The gambit resulted in 480 games lost in 1998-99 another 240 wiped out in the 2011-12 season.

Stern was not afraid to dig in his heels, because he always knew he had the tactical advantage. The players are always going to be damaged more by a work stoppage than the owners. The players have a very limited window to make their money; the owners have no such restrictions placed upon their earning power.

But it was during those negotiations that Stern developed a reputation for being a bully, someone who was not afraid to use his broad powers to punish the players while trying to force terms upon the players’ union.

It is likely not a coincidence there has been relative labor peace since the departures of Stern and former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter, a pair that for all their smiling conciliation photo opportunities oversaw the most turbulent period of labor relations the NBA has ever known.