David Stern Knows NBA Fans Can’t Look Away from the Dwight Howard ‘Soap Opera’

Whenever an update on the never-ending Dwightmare is posted here, SLAMonline readers leave all types of angry comments about being sick of the story (which is understandable — we’re sick of it, too.) But, according to NBA Commissioner David Stern, the Dwight Howard/Orlando Magic trainwreck is something people can’t look away from, no matter how annoying it is. Per USA Today: “NBA Commissioner David Stern called out Orlando center Dwight Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, as the primary unnamed source leaking details of a recent meeting between Howard and Magic executives. Asked what he thought of the Howard situation, which threatens to engulf another season for the Magic, Stern chided Fegan. ‘It’s very unique, especially if it’s driven by a quote source that happens to be Dwight’s agent,’ Stern said. ‘A source in the meeting. Oh, OK, who might that be?’ Does he think it could be new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan? ‘No, I don’t, and I don’t think it’s (Magic CEO) Alex Martins either,’ Stern said. […] Jab aside, Stern says he is comfortable with how Howard’s tumultuous situation is playing out. Howard wants out of Orlando, and the Magic are unwilling to trade him unless a deal yields what Hennigan wants as the Magic begin to rebuild: salary cap relief, young talent and draft picks. ‘To me, it is the soap opera our fans turn in for – the drama on the court and the drama off the court,’ Stern said. ‘When we cease to have a story popping up, we probably won’t exist. I think what it is, is that that’s the way we are. That’s the way it has been in baseball and the NFL and hockey and basketball. And frankly, it engages our fans, it engages our reporters, it engages our bloggers. It makes people happy, mad, sad. It’s just the life in sports.’”