Updated: October 25, 2012, 3:39 pm ET

Stern to retire in 2014, Silver to take over

By HOOPSWORLD
Basketball News & NBA Rumors

by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK — David Stern, NBA Commissioner since Feb. 1, 1984, will step down Feb. 1, 2014, with Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver unanmiously chosen to succeed him, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.

The person requested anonymity until an expected announcement by Stern later Thursday.

Widely regarded as one of the best commissioners in all of sports, Stern turned basketball into a multi-billion dollar global business after the NBA had struggled to find its place on the sports landscape more than three decades ago.

Stern’s influence has been near and far, managing all aspects of on- and off-court competition, marketing and business endeavors.

  • The league’s revenues are projected to be $5 billion this season with strong ticket sales, TV deals and global business initiatives using a variety of traditional and digital platforms.
  • Stern oversaw expansion with teams going into Charlotte, Minnesota, Miami and Vancouver and relocation that put teams in Memphis, New Orleans, Brooklyn, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and Los Angeles.
  • The rise in player salaries has been curbed because of the rookie salary scale and soft salary cap,
  • Stern has raised the profile of the league’s charitable efforts, such as NBA Cares and Basketball Without Borders.
  • The NBA has become a global game on and off the court, with foreign players rising to stardom in the NBA. NBA programming is available in more than 200 countries and in 47 languages.
  • Stern has adapted to changes, and the NBA is a pro sports leader in social media with more than 270 million “likes” and “followers” on Facebook and Twitter.

    • It was a transformative time for the league as it distanced itself from fans’ ambivalence, weak TV deals and minor sponsorships and endorsements.

    Stern helped usher in an era of professional basketball in the USA – first as outside counsel with prominent sports law firm Proskauer Rose in the late 1960s and 1970s, then as the NBA’s general counsel under Commissioner Larry O’Brien.

    While much of Stern’s record as commissioner is sterling, there are low points. Chief among them: former referee Tim Donaghy’ felony conviction in the gambling scandal; the infamous brawl between the … [For more on NBA's Stern to retire in 2014, Silver to take over then, click here.]

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