David Stern Will Be Inducted into Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is going to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame next year. 

Per ESPN's Mechelle Voepel, Stern will be posthumously inducted on June 12, 2021.

Val Ackerman, who is currently the Big East commissioner and was the WNBA's first commissioner, issued a statement to Voepel:

"David Stern's deeply held convictions a quarter-century ago gave birth to the WNBA and paved the way for a new era in women's professional team sports in our country. He brilliantly married women's basketball with NBA capabilities, a sound business plan and a marketer's touch, and his vision produced a league that remains a beacon for women in the sports world.

"Legions of players, coaches, executives, referees and fans owe David an enormous debt of gratitude for his relentless determination to elevate women's basketball to the major league status it deserves."

Stern founded the WNBA in 1996 after the NBA board of governors voted to approve the concept of a women's professional league. 

The league played its inaugural season in 1997 with eight teams. It currently has 12 teams and has evolved into one of the premier women's sports organizations in the world. 

Stern, who died in January at the age of 77, has previously been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame.

He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year along with Tamika Catchings, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson, Debbie Brock, Carol Callan, Sue Donohoe and Carol Stiff.