The Sports Truth

Yes, he really did. Check out ESPN if you doubt the Sports Truth.

To be fair, David Stern does understand owning a gun if it’s to protect one’s home. He’s just not convinced carrying one on the street makes you any safer.

For that reason, the NBA commissioner said Wednesday that he would prefer his players leave their firearms behind when they go out.

“It’s a pretty, I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a gun, your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically,” said the little man who rules with an iron fist. “We think this is an alarming subject, that although you’ll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe. And it’s a real issue.”

One that came up recently when Indiana’s Stephen Jackson shot a gun in the air at least five times outside a strip club. He originally told police he fired in self-defense during a fight in which he was hit by a car.

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement allows players to own licensed guns, but they can’t carry them on any team business. What kind of rule would Stern want if collective bargaining weren’t involved?

“I would favor being able to have a firearm to protect your home. Period,” says the commish who, in the span of one year, has instituted a dress code, changed the NBA ball, and banned players from ripping off their warm-up pants on the court. Where do you even come up with this stuff?

With the upcoming season less than a week off, Stern added that walking the streets carrying guns is dangerous for NBA players, but said there has been no discussion about strengthening the policy. Union spokesman Dan Wasserman said it was bolstered in last year’s agreement, at the request of the league.

“In response to issues raised by the NBA during bargaining last year,” he said, “a provision was added to the collective bargaining agreement that subjects the players to discipline if they bring any kind of firearm, even if it’s licensed, to an NBA arena, practice facility, or even a team or league offsite promotional appearance.”

Wasserman also said that the dangers of firearms are discussed during the rookie transition program, where players are informed of the legalities of it, what you can or can’t do, and the pros of cons of having a weapon. The program apparently doesn’t specify whether or not a player may cap Fabolous.