Stern, 77, was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery Thursday. He was transported from a New York City restaurant following a 911 call for cardiac arrest around 2 p.m. ET.
PHOTOS: David Stern through the years
The NBA released the following statement on Stern’s health status:
Serious condition means vital signs “may be unstable and not within normal limits,” according to American Hospital Association guidelines, and a patient is “acutely ill” with questionable indicators. This is different from critical condition, which indicates a patient “may be unconscious” with unfavorable indicators.
From 1984 to 2014, Stern oversaw the incredible financial growth of the NBA and helped turn basketball into a global sport as the league’s longest-serving commissioner.
He handed off the job to Adam Silver on Feb. 1, 2014, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year.
