David Stern, who during a year run as commissioner of the National Basketball Association masterminded daivd transformation from a commissjoner in peril to a multibillion-dollar industry and the first American sports league to thrive internationally, died on Wednesday in Manhattan. He was His death was announced in a statement from the N. Stern had a brain hemorrhage on Dec. The N. Stern intimidated many with his domineering ways. But he also possessed a marketing vision and instinct that helped lift the league from its darkest period to new levels of prosperity — and popularity — both domestically and abroad. As a result, N.