Leadership — Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School
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Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School
A transcendent superstar, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe dazzled fans and teammates alike with his on-court prowess. The innovative playmaker drew crowds at each stage of his career, whether fans witnessed him in Philadelphia high school gyms, at Winston Salem State, or with the Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks. “Slick and always exciting,” the legendary Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford said of Monroe. “The Pearl” led the Knicks to their last championship season in 1973 and is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the Top 60 Players in NBA history.

Monroe’s legacy extends beyond the hardwood. He continues to preach the importance of education and has been involved in various community affairs programs, including the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health, the Crown Heights Youth Collective and the Literary Assistance Fund. Additionally, for his extensive humanitarian work, he has received many honors, including the Harlem Professionals Inspiration Award, Most Outstanding Model for American Youth, and the Big Apple Sportsman of the Year. In 2008, Earl Monroe was awarded a Peabody for producing the four-hour documentary, Black Magic.

Dan Klores is a Brooklyn-born, award-winning filmmaker and playwright, and founder of a public relations/integrated marketing and crisis communications firm, Dan Klores Communications (DKC). DKC evolved into the fastest growing independent firm in the nation with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Miami.

Klores’ celebrated documentaries and films—four of which debuted at Sundance Film Festival—include The Boys of Second Street Park, Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story, Viva Baseball, and Basketball: A Love Story. He received the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary for Crazy Love and a Peabody Award for his film Black Magic. In addition to his cinematic work, Klores authored Basketball: A Love Story with Jackie MacMullan and Roundball Culture: South Carolina Basketball. His numerous columns, articles, and essays have been featured in the New York Times, Esquire, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, Huffington Post, The Undefeated, The Ringer, New York Post, New York Daily News, Southern Exposure, and Grantland.

David Stern served as commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2014. Prior to his tenure as the longest-serving Commissioner in the history of North American sports, Stern first joined the NBA as a general counsel in 1978. In his 30 years of leadership, Stern brought the league and the game itself to unprecedented levels of financial success and global exposure. Choosing to market the sport around the star power of the league’s talented players, Stern oversaw the NBA’s rise to the forefront of American popular culture during the 80’s and 90’s, while also expanding its popularity internationally. Today, the league holds offices in 12 cities outside the U.S. and broadcasts to over 200 territories in 40 languages. Alongside the growth of the NBA, Stern also helped found the WNBA and NBA G League.

Stern was born in New York City, where he also attended Columbia University Law School after graduating from Rutgers University. He is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the FIBA Hall of Fame. He has been recognized across America’s most esteemed institutions, such as Harvard and Yale Universities as well as the NAACP, for his contributions to African-American culture as well as his superb executive leadership. Following his retirement as Commissioner, Stern served as an advisor to various investment banks, venture capital firms and consultancies, in addition to directly investing in technology and sports startups. Stern died in January 2020, he is survived by his wife of 47 years, Dianne, and his two sons Eric and Andrew.