Rod Thorn to Retire as NBA President of Basketball Operations

Rod Thorn, former NBA player and general manager and current president of basketball operations, will retire from his post in August.      

Tim Bontemps of the New York Post received confirmation Monday from Thorn that he would indeed be retiring:

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports had more details of the retirement in his original report:

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Thorn, 73, returned to the league office in August 2013 to oversee the league's daily operations under commissioner Adam Silver, an appointment that had been planned to be a two-year bridge to a longer-term successor, sources said. Kiki Vandeweghe, the NBA's vice president of basketball operations, is a strong candidate to be promoted to take Thorn's job, sources said.

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Thorn originally held the same post under former commissioner David Stern for 14 years before taking over as the general manager of the New Jersey Nets in 2000. He spent time as the general manager of the Chicago Bulls, where he famously drafted Michael Jordan in 1984, the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers, and he was the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2001-02 with New Jersey. 

Thorn, 73, spent eight seasons as an NBA player with the Baltimore Bullets, Detroit Pistons, St. Louis Hawks and Seattle Supersonics. He also served as the coach of the Bulls in the 1981-82 season. 

Thorn's lengthy career in the NBA in multiple roles means his presence in the league office and the experience he brought to the league will be missed. If Kiki Vandeweghe is indeed his replacement, as Wojnarowski suggested, he'll certainly have big shoes to fill.