Penn graduate Joel Litvin is moving up the ranks of the NBA's front office.
Litvin, who attended Wharton before graduating from NYU Law in 1985, was announced yesterday as the new president of league and basketball operations.
He joined the league in 1988, when he began working as a staff attorney. Most recently, he held the position of executive vice president of legal and business affairs, serving as the NBA's chief legal officer.
He played an important role in resolving the labor dispute between league executives and the Players' Association in the 1998-99 season, averting disaster in the form of a lockout or a strike. Moreover, the current collective bargaining agreement was crafted by Litvin.
In January, Litvin was ranked 85th in The Sporting News' Power 100, above such notables as hall-of-fame coaches Larry Brown and Mike Krzyzewski, as well as John Madden and Roger Clemens.
-- Ilario Huober
