Former NBA Commissioner David Stern may have a future in politics, as friends of his are urging him to run for mayor of New York City.
Stern retired from his NBA post at the end of January 2014. A
New York Post Page Six report claims Stern, who has donated more than $300,000 to Democrats during his life, is "bored" in his retirement.
"He's pretty bored," a source told the Post. "He's always been interested in politics, and he's always been interested in running for office."
Another source added, "He's tough as nails. He's popular with the black community. New York would be lucky to have him as mayor."
Stern responded to the Post report by telling the newspaper he was "flattered" by the attention, but said he's not interested in becoming boss of the Big Apple.
"I remain a happy Westchester resident and am very busy as a senior adviser to a number of enterprises," Stern said.
New Yorkers are growing increasingly unhappy with current Mayor Bill de Blasio, with
one recent survey showing voters gave him a 44 percent approval rating. And nearly half of the voters polled said he does not deserve another term in office.
Republican presidential candidates have
criticized de Blasio on the campaign trail, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie calling him a "liberal, crazy mayor."
Last month, it was reported that
Planned parenthood was recruiting de Blasio to make a video supporting the organization, which is embroiled in a scandal around several undercover videos that show employees discussing the sale of body parts from aborted fetuses.
Adam Silver took over as NBA commissioner when Stern retired, and Stern said recently he's impressed with his successor.
"[Silver is] doing a great job," Stern told
Basketball Insiders.
"He's entitled to it. He's been with me for 22 years in five different positions, but he's always reported to me. As I told the owners, he's ready and he's proven it in the first year of his commissionership by 110 percent."
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