Tagged: National Basketball Association (NBA)

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: L.A. topsy-turvy with the Clippers now the top NBA team in town, while the Lakers try to pick themselves up with a new coach. And remember those three NFL quarterbacks who were knocked out of their games last week? A couple of them kept playing. NPR's Tom Goldman joins us now.

Good morning, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.

Czars.

It was fun to call American sports commissioners czars, but once players started to have unions, a commissioner really became more like a majority leader in a legislature, trying to keep his party — the owners — together in their financial battles against the minority opposition, the athletes.

The Los Angeles Lakers have fired coach Mike Brown only five games into the season.

In a press release, the Lakers said Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff will take over in the interim.

David Stern said his 30-year run as the NBA's commissioner will come to an end Feb. 1, 2014.

ESPN reports the NBA Board of Governors tapped Adam Silver, Stern's deputy, as the successor.

ESPN adds:

"Stern, 70, has been the NBA's commissioner since Feb. 1, 1984. Last December, when a new collective bargaining agreement was announced, he predicted it would be the final labor deal before he steps down.