David Stern, former NBA Commissioner, suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and had emergency surgery on Thursday, announced the league.

"NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern suffered a brain hemorrhage earlier today for which he underwent emergency surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with David and his family," Wrote the NBA in an official statement.

Stern joined the NBA in 1978 and took over from Larry O'Brien to become the Commissioner in 1984. In the 30 years of his management, Stern turned the NBA into one of the most successful sports leagues in the U.S.

Stern made more than great contributions to the development of the NBA. He added "star effect" – rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, 23 (LeBron James) vs. 24 (Kobe Bryant) – to the league to draw more attention. He launched a salary cap to keep team balance. He implemented various measures to improve the NBA's image to enhance the league's business values. He also added another seven teams to the league.

More importantly, Stern began the internationalization of the NBA. In 1992, he forwarded the idea of sending the league's best players, also known as the "Dream Team" to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona to let the world learn more about the NBA. Furthermore, Stern introduced the NBA to China.

Back in 1989, he came to the headquarter of China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing with a box of videotapes of the NBA games. Having explained what the league is, Stern also offered CCTV free access to the games. Though the rebroadcast started with merely highlights of the games, Chinese fans happened to be able to watch the best years of Michael Jordan, and that made the first generations of NBA fans in the country.

In 2014, Stern retired from the post, and in less than six months, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Though he was not the Commissioner anymore, Stern still served the league by doing visits, giving speeches, and offering consultancy.