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Former NBA commish Stern to have Sacramento street named after him

Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Kings and the City of Sacramento will announce Tuesday that the street in front of the new Golden 1 Center arena will be known as "David J. Stern Walk."

"When I learned we would have the option of naming the road, it was a no-brainer for me," Kings owner Vivek Ranadive told The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin. "There were no other names on my list. David took the NBA to the global level and started the WNBA, but he is about so much more than basketball. He is one of the greatest leaders in the world, and on top of that, the team would not be in Sacramento without David Stern."

The Kings relocated to the California capital from Kansas City in 1985, during Stern's second year on the job as NBA commissioner. In his last year overseeing the league in 2013, Stern was instrumental in ensuring the team remained in Sacramento and was not moved to Seattle.

"I opened the first ARCO Arena and the second one, so I have a warm spot in my heart for Sacramento," Stern told The Undefeated's Jerry Bembry on Monday. "I think it's a wonderful gesture, and I'm deeply touched, I'm just not sure I'll be able to get into the same tuxedo."

The official address of the new facility will be 500 David J. Stern Walk.

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