NBA Commissioner David Stern has set a new course for the league’s future with a major restructuring of top brass emphasizing the league’s evolution toward a more global, multimedia-driven conglomerate.
Stern last week named Adam Silver, 43, to replace Russ Granik as deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, drawing on Silver’s deep business background as president of NBA Entertainment to help lead the NBA while serving as the new second-in-command to Stern.
“My background has primarily been on the business side and will remain there,” Silver said. “There’s a lot going on in the TV, digital and consumer-products side, particularly overseas, and that will be my focus, because that’s our frontier.”
Silver’s appointment was expected for months, but Stern also elevated two senior executives to newly created officer positions: Joel Litvin, executive vice president of legal affairs, was named president of league and basketball operations; and Heidi Ueberroth, executive vice president of global media properties and marketing sponsorships, was promoted to president of global marketing partnerships and international business operations.
Litvin will report to Stern and Ueberroth will report to Silver, who will also continue to oversee NBA Entertainment. The new appointments are effective July 1.
Notable is that none of the promoted executives comes from a basketball operations background. Even Stern said it will be impossible to replace Granik’s 30 years of NBA experience, a tenure that brought an immense amount of trust and confidence to the league’s owners and basketball operations executives.
But Silver’s business acumen is seen as the overriding factor in winning the new role of deputy commissioner.
“Among his contributions are his oversight of the rapid expansion of the NBA’s global and digital activities and his participation in our last three collective-bargaining agreements,” Stern said.
Other executive changes are expected in the coming weeks, raising the question of whether Stern and Silver will assign a new management role at NBA Entertainment.
Litvin’s elevation to running the league’s basketball operations came as a surprise to some, and the move continues his climb through the league’s executive ranks that began in 1988 as an NBA staff attorney. For the past six years, Litvin has been executive vice president of legal affairs, where he worked with team owners on legal matters. Stu Jackson, senior vice president of basketball operations, will now report to Litvin.
Ueberroth’s promotion to president of the league’s global business operations is a natural extension of her current duties as executive vice president of global marketing media and marketing partnerships. She has been involved in all of the league’s increasing global partnership and media deals, including helping Silver secure blue-chip sponsors Kodak, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Reebok, and Disney for the league’s 2004 China Games.
“Joel and Heidi are two of the industry’s outstanding executives,” Stern said. “Joel, in all team and franchise matters relating to the game of basketball and collective bargaining, and Heidi, in all business aspects in the increasingly global environment of professional sports.”
A look at the roles assigned by NBA Commissioner David Stern as part of a newly restructured league office.
Adam Silver New title: Deputy commissioner, chief operating officer
Old title: President of NBA Entertainment
Age: 43
The 14-year NBA veteran replaces Russ Granik as second-in command to NBA Commissioner David Stern and must now be considered as Stern’s heir apparent. While Granik’s job encompassed both on-court basketball and business operations, under the new structure, Silver will focus more on the league’s branding efforts. While he has excelled in building all facets of the NBA’s business and was heavily involved in last year’s collective-bargaining agreement talks, he will be tested when it comes to building a consensus among the league’s 30 owners. The Duke University graduate holds a law degree from the University of Chicago, and while he prefers to keep a low profile, Silver must now become more comfortable in the spotlight.
Joel Litvin New title: President of league and basketball operations
Old title: Executive vice president of legal and business affairs
Age: 47
Litvin has seen his stock rise significantly during the past season. His role as chief negotiator in the Hornets’ relocation to Oklahoma City from New Orleans was seen as a major coup for the league’s chief legal officer. He also gained stature during last year’s collective-bargaining negotiations. Litvin joined the NBA in 1988, and while he has a strong legal background, his new job will involve much more on-court operational issues. He graduated from New York University Law School in 1985 and was in private practice for three years before joining the NBA. Team owners and top team executives early on will be looking closely at how he handles the basketball-operations side as it relates to on-court issues such as rules changes and player discipline.
Heidi Ueberroth New title: President of global marketing partnerships and international business operations
Old title: Executive vice president of global media properties and marketing partnerships
Age: 40
Ueberroth’s new title is an extension of her current job only with more power for the longtime league executive who joined the NBA in 1994. The Vanderbilt University graduate is now really the league’s chief sales officer, so look for the bulk of the league’s new business to come from international sales efforts. Ueberroth will also play an increased role in pushing the distribution of the league’s television and new media business worldwide.
