Commissioner David Stern is surrounded by the media during one of his lockout press conferences. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
NBA commissioner David Stern sent out a note to all-access NBA fans via email on Tuesday. Stern thanked the fans for their support throughout the lockout and promised that each NBA team will hold a “special event” to make up for the stress the five-month lockout brought to the league and its loyal followers. Here is Stern’s letter in its entirety:
Dear Fans,
On behalf of the entire NBA family, I want to thank you for your patience and support over the past several months. The new collective bargaining agreement is designed to provide more competitive balance for our league, reward strong performances by our players, and strengthen our game by improving its economics. We believe this agreement will benefit our teams, players, and most importantly, fans by making the NBA stronger.In the days and weeks ahead, all of us hope you will enjoy the run-up to the start of the season: free agency, training camp, and preseason games. Each NBA team will be hosting special events for fans, so be sure to check your favorite team’s website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed for details. This season we look forward to bringing you more of everything you love about NBA basketball: incredible competition, tremendous excitement, and unending hard work and dedication by the world’s best athletes.
Thank you for being an NBA fan. I hope you enjoy the season, which promises to be a most exciting one.
Sincerely,
David J. Stern
NBA Commissioner
Not sure what these “special events” the NBA will hold, but one thing Stern and the owners could have done was make the exhibition games free. One longtime Los Angeles Lakers season-ticket holder said “that meaningless home exhibition vs. the Clips should have been a special event, as in free for all season-ticketholders.” That makes total sense.