David Stern Retiring As NBA Commissioner In 2014

NBA commissioner David Stern, who has helped basketball reach new heights around the world, will step down on Feb. 1, 2014, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver will be his replacement.

Stern took over as commish in 1984 and will retire on the 30th anniversary of taking over as commissioner. He is currently the longest tenured commish in pro sports. But he has become more of a meddlesome commissioner over the last few years, presiding over last year’s lockout and the vetoing of the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers.

But Stern has helped the league grow on a global level, with games overseas, the innovation of allowing pro player to compete in the Olympics as the Dream Team and the NBA’s marketing has had unparalleled success on a worldwide scale. Owners have brought up a succession plan more and more over time, and Stern has reportedly agreed to step down.

The decision to step down was unanimously approved by the league’s board of governors, as was Silver’s appointment to the league’s top post.