The late NBA commissioner David Stern was known as strict, vocal, and assertive. Despite that, Stern was known as a commissioner who always followed league procedures before making decisions rather than making decisions arbitrarily.
He used reviews and probes before making conclusions. Before handing out disciplinary actions to players, Stern gave them a chance to explain and conducted investigations. In short, he was tough but was also fair.
However, when a couple of rookies pulled off a crazy stunt at the NBA's rookie transition program in 2008, David was so angry at the players that he lived up to his family name and was stern, throwing them out of the event right then and there.
The NBA rookie transition program was one of Stern's brainchildren, and it began in 1986, two years after he was installed as NBA commissioner. For more than two decades, it has helped NBA rookies adjust more easily to life in the NBA, especially regarding their finances, mental health, and public relations.
Since its inception, the event went as expected, with no unwanted incidents, and everything was going as usual in 2008 until Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur brought women to Arthur's room, violating a league policy that prohibited visitors during the event. Also, hotel security reported that there was a strong marijuana odor inside the room when they forcibly opened it after a smoke alarm went off.
"I told them it won't happen again," Arthur said after he was kicked out. "I want people to know I'm a good kid. This is the first really bad thing that's happened to me…About the marijuana. I didn't have any. I didn't have anything to do with marijuana or anything like that. I'd like to clear that up. I used bad judgment by bringing the girls in and violating the rules."
"Everyone who knows me knows I am a good person and I pride myself on doing the right thing," Chalmers said for his part. "I am embarrassed this happened. I broke the rules, but I did not smoke marijuana."
To the two players' credit, hotel personnel never found drugs or paraphernalia inside Arthur's room. However, during a recent interview on the "All the Smoke" podcast, Michael Beasley admitted to smoking marijuana in Arthur's room that day. Beasley was also fined $50K by the NBA two weeks after Chalmers and Arthur were thrown out of the event, although the league did not detail Beasley's role in the incident.
"Everybody in the NBA that was at the camp at the door behind them, hotel security behind them — like I felt like I was in a Marvel movie. Police behind them, firemen. So I go to the door, I go back to them and say, 'Yo, this s—t going down," Beasley recalled .
He also confirmed that a livid commissioner threw out Mario and Darrell right there and then.
"The next day, David Stern at the front of the podium," Beasley disclosed. "They kicked them out immediately — 'Get the f—k up out of here.' David Stern kicking these MFs out."
Beasley even admitted he was scared of getting caught and considered jumping out of the window. However, since they were on the third floor, he figured he did not want to miss the start of the season with an injury. But while Michael said he didn't jump, it's unclear why, when security got in the room, they only found Mario and Darrell there.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
