Ted Stepien

Ted Stepien was a basketball team owner known for making poor decisions that negatively affected his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the 1980s. He often traded away key players and made risky moves without sufficient planning. His actions led to a string of losing seasons and a significant decline in the team’s performance. As a result, the NBA created a rule called the "Stepien Rule," which limits teams from trading away too many future draft picks at once, to prevent similar reckless management. Stepien's tenure is a cautionary example of how poor leadership can harm a sports franchise.