15 - Kobe Bryant, Player, Los Angeles Lakers – Armed with four championship rings and a fiercely loyal and faithful fan base, Bryant is without question among the top names in the NBA. Bryant has a tremendous amount of influence on the NBA and its marketing partners while also having a lucrative shoe deal with Nike. Bryant literally can write his own check, and at 31 he has several years of supremacy remaining. The Lakers will likely extend his contract this summer, the only contract with a specific no-trade clause, insuring he remains with the Lakers for as long as he wants to be there.

14 - Arn Tellum, Principal, Management - Wasserman Media – Tellum and Wasserman Media are the top earners in the NBA, with more than $300 million in guaranteed contract dollars. Tellum and his partners have a client roster unmatched by any other agency. Tellum's client list includes Derrick Rose, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge , Joe Johnson, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin and Brook Lopez, giving him a strong mix of big dollar players now as well as a bright stable of talent for the future. Tellum's partner Warren LeGarie also represents half of the coaches and executives in the league, giving Wasserman unbelievable influence on the game.

13 - Bob Elphinston, President, FIBA – As the president of the organizing body for all of international basketball, Bob Elphinson has a tremendous amount of influence over the basketball world. FIBA has 214 national federations and is comprised of five commissions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, making Elphinston's FIBA the most powerful organization in basketball. Any hopes of NBA expansion into Europe will need FIBA's blessing, and as NBA fans see every year, a large chunk of the NBA spends its summer in FIBA competitions around the world.

12 - ESPN.com – As one of  the top sports-specific sites on the internet, ESPN.com draws in more than 22 million visitors per month, giving them the largest reach of any news outlet covering the NBA game. Marc Stein, Chris Broussard, J.A. Adande and Chris Sheridan are the most influential writers in the business and their wealth of data and access to news is unmatched, while Henry Abbott has brought sports blogging into primetime. ESPN.com can get virtually any interview and breaks more than 85% of all the major stories in the league, making them the undisputed leader. Yahoo! and AOL are gearing up to go after ESPN this year, but until they are dethroned ESPN.com is the most influential news outlet covering the game.

11 - Ed Stack, CEO, Dick's Sporting Goods – With 384 stores in thirty-nine states, Dick's is one of the largest sports retailers in the United States, with a heavy influence on the East Coast. Stack and Dick's determine what products are stocked and available and they represent a huge chunk of the basketball marketplace. Control over the merchandising dollars gives Stack a tremendous influence over who lands major endorsement deals and what products are front and center to the sports buying public.

10 - Lawrence Norman, Vice President, adidas Global Basketball – Norman is responsible for all of adidas' basketball business, from marketing and endorsement deals to product and manufacturing to the partnership with the NBA. Norman is the king maker for adidas, as he is personally involved in which athletes the brand puts its weight behind and more importantly how the NBA is seen on the court. adidas drives the NBA's on-court apparel innovations and Norman and adidas have a tremendous amount of influence on that part of the NBA.

9 - George Raveling, Global Director Basketball Sports Marketing, Nike – Raveling is a coaching legend, but in his role as Global Director for Nike he oversees all of Nike's endorsement and marketing efforts. Nike is the dominant brand in basketball and Raveling determines who they sign and how they are promoted. With Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in their stable Nike is the most recognized brand name in basketball and has a tremendous influence over the style and culture of the basketball world.

8 - Sal LaRocca, NBA Global Merchandising Group – LaRocca overseas the NBA's life blood – the merchandising group.  LaRocca is responsible for all aspects of the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League merchandising business on a global basis, including product development, merchandising, licensing, sales development, marketing, retail and direct-to-consumer initiatives. The NBA Store on 5th Avenue,  NBAStore.com and the league's publishing and home video business units all fall under LaRocca. The NBA's Merchandising Group grosses in excess of $2.8 billion annually and LaRocca and his team oversee what is considered the best retail and merchandising business in sports.

7 - Mark Cuban, Owner, Dallas Mavericks – Beyond his influence as the most vocal and visible owner in the league, Cuban has changed how fans perceive sports owners across all sports. On the surface Cuban comes off as a self-promoter, but few recognize that he has transformed the Dallas Mavericks into a world class sports team, more than doubling the value of the team in the process. Mark has forced multiple issues at the league level and has brought the NBA kicking and screaming into the digital era. Mark is often the voice of criticism for the league, but behind closed doors Mark's voice is valued more than he'd ever admit and he has far more influence than people give him credit for.

6 - Keith Daly, CEO, Foot Locker – Foot Locker is the top sports retailer in the world, with more than 3,600 retail locations in more than 20 countries worldwide. As the chief retailer for all things basketball, Foot Locker has a tremendous amount of influence on the game. Foot Locker plays a huge role in what products are stocked and available to fans, and with a marketing budget unmatched in the space, Foot Locker also determines which players fans see in advertising and what products are prominently featured. Foot Locker had more than $5.2 billion in sales last year and represents a huge segment of all sports retails sales, giving them a tremendous amount of influence not only on the NBA but the shoe and apparel business in general.

5 - Myles Brand, President, NCAA - As President of the NCAA, Brand oversees the athletic programs of 1,281 institutions, conferences and organizations that comprise the three divisions of college sports. Brand has tremendous influence in most major rule decisions as they affect eligibility of players and rules governing players in college basketball. Under Brand's watch the NCAA's post season basketball tournament has become the marquee event in college sports. In 1999 the NCAA inked an 11-year, $6 billion TV deal with CBS Sports, a deal which will expire in two-years. In January, Brand was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is expected to be replaced at some point this year. Until that time, he will continue to be one of the most influential names in basketball.

4 - Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, NBA – Silver is the day-to-day business leader of the NBA. He oversees NBA Entertainment, which comprises all the NBA's business units, including television and merchandising and the NBA's international business ventures. The Global Media Properties and Marketing Partnerships division of the league also fall under Silver, as well as advertising sales. Silver is believed to be the eventual replacement for David Stern when he decides to retire. Silver has been with the NBA for 14 years and has been heavily involved in the broadcasting side of the business, making him one of the most influential people in the sport.

3 - LeBron James, Player, Cleveland Cavaliers – James is the top name in basketball marketing, giving him and his pending free agency tremendous influence.  While compiling this list one NBA owner was asked for his list, and came back with one name: LeBron James. LeBron was labeled "The Chosen One" in high school and has lived up to the name at virtually every turn, captivating fans and media alike. It's believed James has already amassed more than $300 million in salary and endorsement dollars at just 24 years of age. As the most coveted free agent in a generation, James will make or break a franchise (or both) in July of 2010.

2 - George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN – As the dominant sports brand in media ESPN controls the message. Bodenheimer, in turn, controls ESPN, so you do the math. ESPN is the ultimate kingmaker, their experts are experts by virtue of being with ESPN, and they own the broadcasting rights to so much of the sports landscape they can control and influence what is seen and heard across a variety of mediums. ESPN's influence on who is popular, who is not and what teams and situations are news shapes every aspect of the game. To many if ESPN reports it, it is real. ESPN's flagship program, SportsCenter, is one of the most-watched sports broadcasts anywhere. Between their news-making ability and broadcasting agreements no entity has more influence on the game than Bodenheimer's ESPN.

1 - David Stern, Commissioner, NBA – David Stern is basketball. David Stern is the NBA. With almost unlimited influence and authority, Stern has shaped what was a fledgling sports league in 1984 into what is today the third-most popular sports league in the United States generating more than $3.1 billion a year in annual revenue. Stern is the architect of the salary cap era in sports and has presided over the NBA's rise to prime time. The NBA now has 11 offices in cities outside the United States and its games are televised in countries around the world in 42 languages. Stern personally oversaw the development of the Women's National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League. Stern has even successfully instituted an age limit in the NBA. With all of these accomplishments under his belt, Stern is commonly viewed as the most powerful commissioner in sports.