What David Stern Meant To Me And So Many Other Hoop Dreamers
- Taurus Montgomery
- Jan 7, 2020
- 2 min read

Much has been written about the longest tenured NBA commissioner. Positive. And negative. Such is life. š¤·š¾āāļø
(Low key Iām still upset that he blocked the trade of CP3 from the NO to LA. š Nah. Just kidding.)
But seriouslyāRIP 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, āwith the 1st pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, the Philadelpia 76ers selectāTaurus Montgomeryāfrom the University of North Carolina.ā
Well, unless youāve been living under a rock since 2004, it didnāt 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 donāt get me wrong, I still have those hoop dreams.
But theyāre much bigger now!
I still have a dream that one day Iāll āwalk across that stage.ā That one day Iāll shake the commissioners hand. That one day Iāll āplay my roleā in the NBA. Not as player to play on a team. But to help teams develop the players on their teams.
Yep. Although heās no longer with us, I can still hear Mr. Stern in my head. (But Iām cool with hearing it from you too Mr. Silver.)
āWith 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!ā

But until I get that call. Iāll 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,
āš¾
Taurus
Question for You
Is there someone in your life or that you've seen from a distance who inspires you towards your destiny?
Yes, Taurus Montgomery!! You inspire me! I'm so happy to know that you are in Benton Harbor trying your very best to save those youth from inner city violence and lethargy! You rock!! May your tribe increase!