What David Stern Meant To Me And So Many Other Hoop Dreamers

The New Battle of L.A

Much has been written about the longest tenured NBA commissioner. Positive. And negative. Such is life. 🤷🏾‍♂️

(Low key I’m still upset that he blocked the trade of CP3 from the NO to LA. 😝 Nah. Just kidding.)

But seriously—RIP to the man whose business savvy helped make NBA basketball the global force that it is today.

Let me leave you with a life lesson from David Stern.

This lesson is really about what he represented to me as a kid. He represented destiny.

You see, as a kid with college hoop dreams and NBA goals, I wanted to hear my name called, “with the 1st pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, the Philadelpia 76ers select—Taurus Montgomery—from the University of North Carolina.”

Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2004, it didn’t quite work out that way. It actually turned out better for me. Real talk!

Instead of flying up to New York to walk across the stage to greet Mr. Stern, I was flying to Zambia, Africa to greet children and families in need of a medical clinic that we were going to build. When I got there I was greeted by children smiling, yet hurting, because of the AIDS epidemic during that time. I spent some of the best time of my life there! And made some great friends.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still have those hoop dreams.

But they’re much bigger now!

I still have a dream that one day I’ll “walk across that stage.” That one day I’ll shake the commissioners hand. That one day I’ll “play my role” in the NBA. Not as player to play on a team. But to help teams develop the players on their teams.

Yep. Although he’s no longer with us, I can still hear Mr. Stern in my head. (But I’m cool with hearing it from you too Mr. Silver.)

“With the only pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, every team selects, Taurus Montgomery from Mobile, Alabama and Benton Harbor, Michigan as their keynote speaker to inspire the rookies to achieve greatness within and beyond the game!”

But until I get that call. I’ll just be out here in these streets schooling young ballers, dishing out inspiration, throwing alley-oops of opportunity, swatting negativity outta here, and dunking on every dream blocker that jump in my way!

To The League,

✌🏾

Taurus

Question for You

Is there someone in your life or that you've seen from a distance who inspires you towards your destiny?