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Heat's Arison elected NBA board Chairman
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-27 09:12
NEW YORK - Miami Heat owner Micky Arison was elected chairman of the NBA's
Board of Governors on Wednesday, replacing Phoenix Suns CEO Jerry Colangelo.
This is a 2005 NBA
hand out photo of Russ Granik. Granik will leave his job as NBA deputy
commissioner after this season to become a senior adviser to David Stern.
[Reuters] | "I'm looking forward to an interesting
period," Arison said. "We have a lot of opportunities obviously for the league
and a lot of challenges, and I look forward to working with the league office to
help in any way I can."
Colangelo, who served two two-year terms as chairman, will continue to serve
as the Suns' representative on the board and as a member of committees for
finance, long-range planning, collective bargaining and player relations. He
voluntarily stepped down as chairman to give someone else a chance at the job.
Arison is the chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, the cruise ship
company. He took control of the Heat in 1995 and has overseen moves such as the
hiring of Pat Riley and the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal, helping Miami grow
into a team considered one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this
season.
"It's great when you have somebody like Micky as a sounding board for the
decisions, the directions and the processes," commissioner David Stern said.
"There's television negotiations that will be coming up, there's global
expansion, there are technology decisions that need to be addressed.
"These ultimately will be decisions for the most part for the whole board,
but as you get them ready it's great to have a chairman who both is available as
a sounding board and brings the business acumen that Micky brings."
Arison's election came on the final day of the board's two-day meetings. On
Monday, deputy commissioner Russ Granik told the board he would retire at the
end of the season, his 30th in the league.
One name mentioned as a possible replacement is Adam Silver, the 43-year-old
president of NBA Entertainment. Stern said Granik's successor would be announced
by the All-Star weekend in February.
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