EX-NBA Commissioner David Stern has emergency brain surgery

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern was rushed to the hospital on Thursday after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement late Thursday night that said Stern “suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage earlier today for which he underwent emergency surgery.”

Stern stepped down from running the league in 2014 after a 30-year run overseeing explosive growth in the popularity of the game and league revenues. In 1983, the NBA’s revenues totaled $118 million. Last year the league topped $8 billion.

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The former league lawyer instituted a team salary cap that helped improve profitability for teams, expanded the pro game beyond the United States opening offices in China and Mexico and put the first franchise outside the country in Toronto in 1993. Last year the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship. The NBA's games and programming are televised and streamed in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and it offers fans 19 international online destinations.

Stern also oversaw the creation of the WNBA and successfully fended off the competition with a rival women's basketball league.

Since leaving the league the 74-year-old Stern has been investing in several start-up companies including  SportsCastr.Live, a streaming video platform that allowed users to call live games themselves or hear announcers of their choosing.

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He has also invested in Overtime, a smartphone app that allows for users to record, edit and share short-form sports video content.

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