NBA president Joel Litvin stepping down after 27 years in league office

The NBA office will have a strange feel after Sept. 1.

President of league operations Joel Litvin announced Tuesday that he will step down, ending a 27-year career in the league office. His departure is effective Sept. 1, 2015, after which he'll serve the NBA as a consultant.

"Joel has been central to the NBA's operations and growth for more than a quarter of a century," commissioner Adam Silver said. "We are deeply grateful for his exceptional efforts and accomplishments throughout his distinguished NBA career and we'll really miss him."

Litvin has been working in his current role since 2006, with a hand in all areas of league operations, and is credited with being a major part of several important league innovations. The NBA outlined Litvin's primary contributions in a release:

...Has been involved in all aspects of league operations during his tenure, including legal affairs, collective bargaining, salary cap administration, basketball and referee operations, league security, player development and health initiatives, and social responsibility programs.
...
Working with owners on the NBA's Planning Committee, Litvin led the development of each of the league's revenue sharing plans, including the most recent, which was adopted concurrently with the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Litvin also oversaw the creation of the first escrow/tax system in professional sports and, as head of basketball and referee operations from 2006 to 2013, he led a significant expansion of the use of instant replay; developed a comprehensive, data-driven program for evaluating and training referees; and promoted transparency relating to game rules and their enforcement through the Video Rule Book at NBA.com.

In other words, he's been an incredibly important piece of shaping the NBA as fans know it today.

After joining the NBA in 1988 as a staff attorney, Litvin rose to the head of the league's legal team before becoming senior vice president and general counsel in 1999 and then executive vice president of legal and business affairs in 2000.