SPRINGFIELD - One of the most influential people in the history of sport, a visionary and true leader, was among those to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

David Stern, the NBA's Commissioner from 1984-2014, headlined the 2014 class and was on hand at the enshrinement ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.

FIBA President Ivan Mainini was among the many dignitaries to attend.

"I was very happy to be in Springfield on behalf of FIBA for David's enshrinement," he said.

"This was an opportunity to congratulate him personally and to pay tribute to a fruitful cooperation that has lasted more than 20 years. The NBA have always been important partners for FIBA and for world basketball and surely that will continue to be the case in years to come."

The 71-year-old Stern, a household name in basketball, entered the Hall of Fame after being voted in by the Contributor Direct Election Committee.

He oversaw more than 30 years of NBA development and expansion across all fields - from a financially standpoint as well as in terms of exposure, image and more. 

During his tenure, the league grew from 23 to 30 teams.

Crucially, he was involved with the popularization of basketball globally.

Stern worked closely with FIBA and its then Secretary General, Borislav Stankovic, on the inclusion of NBA players in international competitions.

In 1992, the United States assembled arguably the greatest side ever, the 'Dream Team', one that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullen and Christian Laettner.

The Dream Team travelled to the Barcelona Olympics and won all of its games en route to the gold medal.

It also brought unprecedented attention to international basketball and won many fans to the sport.

Both Johnson and Bird were present at the enshrinement ceremony on Sunday and listened to a speech by Stern.

Among the others to be enshrined in the 2014 class was Sarunas Marciulionis, the Lithuania guard who took on the Dream Team in the Semi-Finals in Barcelona.

The Lithuanians lost that game, but, with Marciulionis leading the way, they took bronze. He helped his country to another followed four years later in Atlanta as well as to a second-place finish at the 1995 European Championship.

When he spoke at Sunday's ceremony, Stern deflected attention away from himself and instead heaped praise on others, including Boston Celtics legend and FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Bill Russell.

He remembered how Russell, an African-American and a dominating presence in the paint, once teamed up with Boston's legendary guard Bob Cousy, who was white, to lead the team to many titles.

"Bill Russell is someone who is special to the NBA in many unique ways," said Stern.

"First of all, at a time when our sport was under duress because people said it was getting too black, I remember this guy named Russell who played with this other guy named (Bob) Cousy, the best basketball ever played in the world.

"It dawned on me that we had something to teach the world."

Stern oversaw the launch of NBA programs like Basketball without Borders (BWB), with FIBA its partner.

"Together with FIBA, our friends at FIBA we go all over the world," he said.

Others to be enshrined were Alonzo Mourning, Mitch Richmond, Nolan Richardson, Gary Williams, Immaculata University's AIAW national championship teams of the early 1970s, Bob Leonard, Nat Clifton and Guy Rodgers.

Mourning played for the United States at the 1990 FIBA World Championship, when the team still consisted of amateurs, then as a pro at the 1994 FIBA World Championship and the 2000 Olympics.

Richmond, like Mourning a long-time NBA star, played while still a collegian for the USA at the 1988 Olympics, and several years later at the 1996 Olympics when he was a pro.

Richardson, the legendary coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, also has a connection to international basketball.

He coached Panama to a surprise fifth-place finish at the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship, an accomplishment that qualified the country for the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

FIBA