Miami Heat president Pat Riley gave former NBA commissioner David Stern the highest of compliments, calling him “the best professional sports commissioner ever” in the wake of his passing on Wednesday.

“David Stern was the best professional sports commissioner ever,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a recent statement, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “What David did for the game of basketball was unparalleled. Everyone involved in the game during his tenure benefited in a massive way. I personally was one of them. The Miami Heat mourn with great empathy for Dianne and the Stern family. Today is a very sad day in the NBA.”

While most people were enjoying the flip to a new decade, it didn't take long for the announcement of Stern's death to come, as he passed following a near-three-week struggle after suffering a brain hemorrhage on Dec. 12.

David Stern was in critical condition all along and eventually died on Jan. 1, leaving a 30-year legacy most executives can only start to wrap their head around.

Pat Riley was there for all three decades of it, seeing how Stern took over for former commissioner Larry O'Brien and immediately made the most of the charisma and appeal of the game's star players, shining a light on the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and the newcomer Michael Jordan as he made his ascent with the Chicago Bulls.

Stern turned the game into international grounds, one of the first proponents of having NBA players take part in the Olympics and consequently reaping the fruits from it.

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He instituted a formal dress code, something which players now cherish before the start of every NBA game, and many players have benefitted from their sense of style, getting endorsement deals with fashion companies and GQ Magazine covers.

Stern's legacy transcended the game, and while current commissioner Adam Silver has done a great job succeeding him, he still has a long way to go before he receives a compliment like the one Riley gave Stern in the wake of his death.