David Stern is the greatest commissioner in the history of professional sports. And I'm not just saying that because I'm an NBA fan. I'm saying it because I'm old enough to remember where the league once was.

I hate to date myself like this, but I remember when the Washington Bullets and Seattle SuperSonics were playing in the Finals -- on tape-delay, after the 11 o'clock news. I remember that it wasn't even called the Finals back then. It was called the NBA Championship Series, or something like that. I remember there was no three-point shot, no fans sporting jerseys of the game's biggest stars, no international players and basically, no real interest.

Back then, pro basketball was the fourth or fifth most popular sport behind college and pro football, pro baseball, college basketball and even boxing. It was five or six years before Stern would be named commissioner, and the NBA was barely on the national radar, let alone known in the rest of the world. To most Americans, starting a basketball league in China would have seemed about as likely as starting one on the moon.

Super Bowl Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of Stern's appointment as commissioner, and what a difference a quarter of a century makes. He has lifted a league from the ashes, turning it into a global obsession that is slowly overtaking soccer as the world's most popular game.

Actually, there is no question that the NBA is the world's most popular league. I write for a Chinese Web site and magazine, and my Asian readers never send e-mails about college basketball. They only want to know about the NBA.

Stern will tell you that he had good timing. That he took over at a time when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were hitting full stride to form perhaps the league's greatest rivalry, and when other stars such as John Stockton and Karl Malone and Isiah Thomas and Charles Barkley and yes, Michael Jordan, were coming of age.

It was the Golden '80s of basketball. Stern was merely the guy keeping the commissioner's seat warm. At least, that's what he seems to want everyone to think. But as Sacramento Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof told the Associated Press, "David saved the NBA."

None of this is to say that Stern has the made right call on every issue, or that I have agreed with his every decision. Sometimes, he can come across as smug. But all I'll say about that is I'm sure glad sportswriters aren't banging on MY door on a regular basis and analyzing MY every move. I'd probably get a little cranky from time to time, too.

In fact, there was a time when I was fairly critical of Stern. I once showed my immaturity as a writer (and maybe as a person) by blasting him without really making an effort to learn why he decided what he decided. I don't remember the issue and I don't remember what I wrote. I just remember feeling embarrassed about not really giving him a fair shake. It wasn't one of my proudest journalistic moments. Thankfully, no one read my stuff back then. Back then, my columns were much like the NBA before Stern.

FAVORITE STERN STUFF

It might sound silly, but I really like how the commissioner attends a season-opener in a different city every year. When I hear that he'll be in town, wherever that town may be, then I know the game is a special occasion. Even for a brief moment, it reminds me that he is a fan.

It's true -- Stern really loves the game. Sure, he's a businessman, lawyer, and basketball judge and jury all rolled into one, and those duties have to take priority. He can't let emotions get in the way and he doesn't. But he'll be the first to tell you that when the day's business is done, he watches the games just like the rest of us. Unlike most commissioners, it's not hard to imagine Stern reclining in his favorite chair in front of the TV, a cold drink in his hand and a bag of popcorn in his lap as he flips between the various games on League Pass.

Believe it or not, I also like how Stern has always defended the league, even during some of those ugly seasons right after Jordan's second retirement in Chicago. The NBA had been gaining a reputation as a league of "thugs," a league whose players were said to be not very likeable and lacking in the fundamentals.

And many of those accusations were true.

Still, imagine if Stern had gone on ESPN and said, "Yeah, our game really stinks right now. I would recommend not watching it for a couple of years. You know what? I hear the NHL is getting pretty good. Or how about mixed martial arts? All the kids really dig that nowadays."

People would've said the commissioner was nuts. Interestingly, he said the opposite of all that and they still said he was nuts. It's almost as if the critics wanted Stern to say the NBA was struggling with its image, simply because that was the truth. But you don't need to lie to avoid those cold, hard facts.

Instead, Stern publicly fought for his league, its owners and its players. Privately, he cleaned things up, little by little. Remember the whole dress code ordeal? Or the deal with the players' union to keep kids from entering the league directly out of high school?

Of course, who can forget about the whole Tim Donaghy mess? Not too many commissioners or leaders could've overcome something like that.

But guess what everyone is focused on today? Not the players, not what they wear or how they act (or whether they're acting up), not the referees, not high school kids and whether they should be allowed to enter the draft.

Not any of that stuff.

Know why? Because everyone is too focused on all the great players (from Kobe Bryant to LeBron James to Dwyane Wade), all those great teams (from the Lakers to Cavaliers to Celtics to Magic to Spurs), and all the excitement -- which seems to be as intense now as it was during the era of Magic, Michael and Larry.

And I should know, because I've been a fan since the Bullets and Sonics were playing for the NBA Championship. Or whatever it was called back then.

STERN CONCLUSION

Here's something else to think about: Because Stern rarely criticizes anything about the NBA, when he does address a concern, you know it's real. He's not just blowing smoke because he thinks it's what everyone wants to hear.

For instance, you had to admire how he stood in what is arguably the loudest arena in the league in Cleveland last season and said some teams needed to tone down all the over-the-top, obnoxious noise and pyrotechnics.

And allow me to pause to clarify something: I don't mind pyrotechnics. I don't mind loud music. I don't dislike Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. I don't know him, have never met him, and don't really care if I ever do. My support of the commissioner on this issue had less to do with the Cavs, and more to do with the fact that Stern said something that may not have gone over well, yet made perfect sense. It was something that a lot of people who attended the games were saying.

So not only does Stern defend the owners, the players and the coaches, but he defends you. He defends the fans. He looks out for the people who value the NBA as much as he does. He wants what is best for the league in all aspects, and he'll take a stand and may even have to come across as a little arrogant to get things accomplished. You should be OK with that, because right now, the league is flourishing and simply put, tons of fun.

And when you think about where the NBA was 25 or 30 years ago, you should mostly just be thankful that Stern is still in charge.

SEE ME ON TV

NBA fans in Ohio will want to check out the "Wine & Gold Zone" show each Monday from 8-9 p.m. on SportsTime Ohio. Popular Cleveland sportscaster Mark "Munch" Bishop hosts, I serve as analyst, and we take your calls and e-mails.

You can e-mail the show at cavs@sportstimeohio.com.

BASKETBALL BOOKS

A couple of really good NBA-related books worth checking out:

* The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA, by Fox Sports NBA columnist and veteran basketball author Charley Rosen. There may not be another writer in America who knows pro basketball as well as Rosen. He lives and breathes the game, and is an exceptional storyteller. Please buy a copy so you can learn about (and appreciate) the men who set the table for today's multi-million dollar basketball industry. You can learn more at Amazon.com.

* Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inside Basketball - 101 Great Hoop Stories from Players, Coaches and Fans, by various contributors including Chris Paul, Pat Riley and John Feinstein (edited by Pat Williams and others). I wrote a fun column about this in last week's newsletter. You can learn more at ChristianBook.com.

SEND ME YOUR THOUGHTS

I received a lot of great e-mails this past week and plan to post some in my columns on the Web site. If you would like your e-mails to be posted either on the site or in the newsletter, please remember to include your full name and hometown.

Sam Amico is the editor of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at amico@probasketballnews.com.