MILAN - For all that the NBA is known for, league commissioner David Stern generally gets the credit as well as the criticism.
But if the league begins to allow advertising on jerseys, it won't be because of any lobbying efforts on Stern's part.
"It's something that's being discussed by the NBA Board of Governors," said Stern who was in attendance at Boston's 105-75 win over EA7 Emporio Armani. "This is the one forum that understands that advertising on team jerseys has gone on for decades, both in football and in basketball, virtually every other sport."
And while he recognizes the upside of such a decision - increased revenue - Stern likes the league's jerseys as they are now.
"As a personal matter, I am not in favor of it, but I'm not standing in the way of it," Stern said. "If my board wants to do it, we'll do it."
It is clear that Stern's opposition to having ads on jerseys has more to do with tradition than anything else.
"Of all the leagues in the world, the NBA is the only one that has its own logo on it," Stern said. "No information of the manufacturer and no sponsor, and that is something that I have worked hard to preserve for many decades. But I understand that the team may have to come to consider it. So we're going to let the Board of Governors decide what to do."
Boston Celtics
Here are a couple other topics discussed by Stern:
Stern on having an NBA team In Europe: "I don't think having a single team in Europe is practical. I never have. What I've said is if we're going to have an NBA presence here in terms of the league, it should be five teams. I'm safe to say that there aren't enough buildings, there aren't adequate TV arrangements, we don't have owners, and I'm not sure we could charge the prices that would be necessary. I don't think our fans are that avid yet.
Stern on the league's new "anti-flopping" rule: "Since I happen to think basketball players are the greatest athletes in the world, I think they should play basketball rather than act. I think we will eventually find a way to remove flopping from our game."