David Stern, NBA Commissioner, Mistakenly Calls Hurricane Sandy 'Katrina' During Pregame Ceremony

David Stern Can't Keep His Storms Straight

Less than a week after he announced he would be retiring in 2014, NBA Commissioner David Stern made an ill-timed gaffe Tuesday night, failing to keep his natural disasters straight when offering condolences to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Stern stepped onto the court at American Airlines Arena to a serenade of boos before the Miami Heat opened the season against the Boston Celtics. Already unpopular with the home crowd, who arrived early to watch Miami receive their 2012 NBA Championship rings, CBS notes, Stern didn't help his case when he mistakenly acknowledged "those who are affected by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath."

The Miami faithful reacted to the blunder immediately, as did the Twitterverse:

This fool said Katrina......smh bad start to NBA

— Jerraud Powers (@JPowers25) October 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy ripped through the Eastern Seaboard Monday evening, devastating entire towns and killing dozens. The storm's impact has also been felt by the sports world: The NFL extended its trade deadline, the Associated Press notes, and the storm's aftermath threatened to delay the debut of the Brooklyn Nets, who are set to open their inaugural season against the New York Knicks at the Barclays Center on Thursday, according to The New York Daily News.

Click here for information on how you can help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

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