"Hell naw": David Stern had to threaten Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson with suspension in 2007 over controversial handshake
David Stern was stern. Nothing got past the late NBA commissioner, not even Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's controversial pat-down handshake.
When the duo played for the Golden State Warriors between 2006-09, the intro had them dole out signature handshakes with every player. When it came to the hosts of 'All the Smoke', it was pretty much Barnes patting down Jackson to check him for carrying anything suspicious, but Stern wasn't having any of it.
On their show, Jackson and Barnes relived the time they pulled the move a couple of times. Jackson was all smiles as he narrated the incident:
"So bam, I get suspended seven games as soon as I get traded to the Golden State Warriors. My burnt-out teammate here (pointing to Barnes) wants to come up with a handshake where I slap everybody, and when I get to him, I put my hands up, and he pats me down.
"He searched me dawg. We did that s**t like two or three times. David Stern called, like Hell Naw! 'You gonna get suspended if you do that one more time.'"
Barnes spent three seasons with Golden State, averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists before signing with the Phoenix Suns. Jackson spent four seasons with them and had a more dominant run, averaging 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
While the duo certainly were the Warriors' mainstays and bonafide superstars, Stern ensured thaat they couldn't get away with their own ideas, and their celebrations were kept in check.
David Stern will be remembered as an iconic and successful NBA commissioner
David Stern massively shaped the NBA's future after taking over in 1984. At the time, the league had a string of issues to deal with — drugs, rough image of the players, a wobbly business model and limited exposure.
Taking over at a rather tumultuous time, Stern went into repair mode. He made the NBA a global product by promoting the players set to take basketball to new heights.
The likes of Magic Johsnon, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan became household names once Stern took over. He changed the league's business model, transforming it into the multi-billion dollar giant that it is today.
Warriors advisor Rick Welts who worked with Stern in the NBA from 1982-99 called him the "single most important individual" in the history of the league. In his interview with TIME, Welts said about Stern:
“I don’t think there’s an argument. With all due respect to Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and LeBron James, we would not have the NBA that we have today without David Stern's genius. "We see the results today and assume that the NBA was always like this, which of course it wasn’t."
Stern has had the respect of players as well, further adding to why he would go down as one of the most iconic and successful commissioners. As for Matt Barnes and Jackson, they would have faced the music had they not stopped their controversial move.