Most times celebrated, other times tenuous, the tenure NBA commissioner David Stern is no longer open-ended. Stern announced yesterday that he’ll leave his post on February 1, 2014, exactly 30 years after it all began.

Stern’s time with the NBA started in 1966 as an outside counsel. In 1978, Stern was on the fast track to the top job, named general counsel under then-commissioner Larry O’Brien. Two years later, Stern moved a step closer as executive VP of the NBA.

When Stern took over as commish in 1984, several big name players were drafted. The biggest of the bunch, Michael Jordan became the center of TV coverage for the next 15 years. With that mind, television revenues have jumped exponentially since Stern ran the show, now approaching $1.3 billion.

Salaries have also skyrocketed under Stern’s watch. The average pay for a player stands at a cool $5 million, while it was a paltry $250,000 in 1984, The New York Times reports.

After the jump, Knicks analyst Walt Frazier tells FishbowlNY that the NBA owes so much to Stern.

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At a recent event, MSG Network was promoting its summer block of programming, highlighted by a new MSG’s Vault–Walt Frazier: Before He Was Clyde.

The episode, debuting June 23, centers on the lost video of Frazier’s final collegiate game for the Southern Illinois Salukis. The NIT Championship, originally broadcast on CBS (with Frank Gifford providing color commentary) in 1967 was played at MSG, giving Knicks brass a front-row seat to witness his future greatness. Two weeks later he was the Knicks first-round draft choice.  (Frazier will live tweet during Saturday’s program @nyknicks)

Fast forward 20 years, and Frazier is a Hall of Famer, with his number 10 retired by the Knickerbockers. He guided the franchise to their only two championships to date.

But Clyde was about to embark on a new career–Knicks announcer. First he was describing the action on radio. For more than a decade, he has a new found celebrity on MSG Network.

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Some things never change at Madison Square Garden. Buzz will be in the air when the Los Angeles Lakers make their one appearance of the season at 7th Avenue and 33rd Street.

With that in mind, MSG will have a special edition of Knicks Blue Carpet beginning at 7 p.m.

Several former Knick stars, will walk the “runway” to the World’s Most Famous Arena. Some of the newly crowned Super Bowl winning Giants will also attend the game.

Bill Pidto, Kelly Tripucka, and Alan Hahn host Blue Carpet in the MSG studios, while Tina Cervasio and Jill Martin interview the celebrities arriving for the exciting matchup.

Basking in the big night, Super Bowl champs Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs; supermodel Kate Upton; actors Billy Crudup, Chase Crawford, and Dylan McDermott; Al Roker; and famed Knicks from yesteryear: Allan Houston, Bernard King, Larry Johnson, Anthony Mason, John Starks, and Herb Williams.

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MSG Network received a whopping 60 nominations Thursday for the 54th Annual New York Emmy Awards.

Among the other regional sports networks, the YES Network notched 46 nominations, while MSG Varsity picked up 32 nods.

SNY was recognized 23 times.

Breaking it down further, in the category Sports Coverage: Series, MSG was bookended by News 12 Westchester (twice), News 12 New Jersey, and News 12 Connecticut.  

The odds may be against MSG in that category, but not so for Sports Programming: Regularly Scheduled Program. MSG took five nominations (MLB Productions for the YES Network with the other – Yankeeography: George Steinbrenner ).  

YES’ other signature original program CenterStage, hosted by Michael Kay, is nominated for Best Interview/Discussion for the edition with Mike Tyson.

The show goes against two WNBC/NYNonstop shows–The Debrief with David Ushery and Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf.

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