With the 2012-13 season set to get underway next week as LeBron James and the Miami Heat look to defend their title from last year, NBA commissioner David Stern is already making headlines over a topic that seems long overdue–a scheduled date for his retirement.

Stern announced on Wednesday his plans to retire on February 1, 2014–which coincidentally happens to be the official 30-year mark of when he took over the job as commissioner. When the time does come around, Stern will hand the keys over to current deputy commissioner Adam Silver.

There are mixed feelings about this move by Stern as he’s been the type of commissioner who has received almost as much praise as criticism when it comes to his job. While Stern played a big role in helping the NBA grow in general during the 80’s and 90’s along with basketball around the world, Stern was also part of two seasons that were cut short due to a lockout–with the latest one taking place last year when the Heat won it all.

Oh and let’s not forget all of the controversy surrounding Tim Donaghy and the referee scandal regarding whether or not certain games were fixed to help win bets.

Whether you liked him or not, it’s safe to say Stern’s time as commissioner of the NBA was long overdue and it should be interesting to see how he does during his final 15 months on the job.

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