Former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo will step down as chairman of the NBA's board of governors next week, a move Colangelo asked for because he felt it was time to give someone else a chance at the job.

``I was asked to stay on through the last collective-bargaining negotiations,'' Colangelo said Thursday night. ``Now that's put aside and behind us.

``You know, usually everyone just does a two-year term. I've had two terms, and the right thing politically is to step down.''

Colangelo, the Suns' chairman and chief executive, will continue to serve as the team's representative on the board and as a member of committees for finance, long-range planning, collective bargaining and player relations.

``I will continue on all those committees, so it's kind of passing the gavel or baton, and time for someone else to have the chairman's title,'' Colangelo said.