NEW YORK — National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner David Stern will stand down from his role in February 2014, after 30 years at the helm, the league said Thursday. Glen Taylor, chairman of the NBA's board of governors, told a news conference the board had authorized negotiations with deputy commissioner Adam Silver to succeed Stern, who is the league's longest-serving commissioner. Stern, 70, has presided over a period of expansion for the NBA and last year concluded a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with players after a five-month lockout. — Reuters