Ric Bucher of ESPN the Magazine reports:
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.
