As reported by Ric Bucher of ESPN, veteran referee Steve Javie will be retiring after 25 years in the NBA.
Steve Javie, one of the NBA's top officials will retire after 25 years. (Photo via ESPN)
Although NBA referees, after agreeing to a new five-year contract earlier this week, are assured of returning whenever the league resumes play, veteran Steve Javie will not be among them.
Javie, rated as one of the league’s top officials during the past 15 years, is retiring because of an arthritic right knee.
The injury forced him to miss the end of the 2009-2010 season, but he returned last fall with the hope of making it to the 25-year mark as an NBA referee.
He accomplished that, but filed his retirement papers when the pain in his right knee and his doctors convinced him a 26th year was not realistic.
An NBA referee must submit his papers within 30 days of the last Finals game if he does not plan to return.
Javie worked both Games 1 and 6 of the 2011 Finals, making him one of six referees to officiate two games. It is an honor reserved for the league’s highest-rated referees and reflects that Javie is going out on top.
“I would like to stay at it and end it on my own terms, but in a way I feel as if I’m doing that in that I got to work that 25th year,” he said. “Adrenaline is an amazing drug. The two weeks after the season, the knee was so painful I couldn’t believe it. My doctor said it was because the adrenaline from the season had finally worn off. Every time I start to think maybe I still could do it, my knee has let me know, one way or another, that I can’t.”
Read the complete article at ESPN.
Javie is one of the most respected referee in the NBA, I hate to see him go but it’s a healt issue so I wish him all the best.
I hope his knees gets well and enjoy his retirement, the NBA will miss this guy for sure.
Steve Javie will be missed, he is one of the few NBA refs that really earned my respect and admiration.
Javie is one of the most respected officials in the league, great guy too. I wish him all the best and hope he recovers well from his knee injury.
Thanks for all the comments and reads.