OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year for first time
Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti was named the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.
It's the first time Presti, who is in his 18th season with the Thunder franchise, has won the award that an executive from each team votes on.
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Presit oversaw the rebuild of the Thunder for a second time, which led to this season's franchise-best 68-14 record and No. 1 overall seed in the postseason. The 68 wins were the fifth-most in a single season in NBA history.
OKC also posted a 12.9-point scoring differential and won 54 games by double digits, both the largest in NBA history. The Thunder was also 29-1 against the Eastern Conference, the best record against an opposing conference in league history.
With 68 wins, Presti also became just the fourth head of basketball operations in NBA history to build 60-win teams with two entirely different rosters, joining Red Auerbach, Jerry West and Pat Riley.
More: OKC Thunder squanders Game 1 vs Denver Nuggets and Chet Holmgren knows he must 'be better'
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"First and foremost, this is an organizational and community-driven award," Presti said in a release. "As with all NBA organizations, ownership is central to everything that happens with the Thunder. On behalf of our entire staff, I want to thank Clay Bennett and our entire ownership group for their continuous support and belief in our vision for basketball in Oklahoma City and as a community accelerator.
"An award such as this is really the result of our players and their commitment to our program. They push themselves in all capacities for the good of the team. I'm fortunate to work with this particular collection of men, and I do not take their professionalism for granted.
"We have an incredible coaching staff and support staff, many who have been here for over 10 years as the team behind the team, and I see their excellence day to day, in ways that are invisible but invaluable to a sustainable organization.
"I am deeply grateful to the many front office members that I have been privileged enough to work with and learn from throughout my experience with the Thunder. There are too many people to thank, but I am aware that I'm simply a representative of our front office and our commitment to improve one another.
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"Lastly, I'm extremely humbled to be recognized by my peers, it is a privilege to be a member of such a talented group of basketball executives that work in the NBA today and I'm thankful for the relationships I've enjoyed with many of them over the years. We are all fortunate to have had people come before us who once served the position such as Donnie Walsh, Wayne Embry, Kevin O'Connor, Jack McCloskey, Rod Thorn, Sam Schuler, Jerry Colangelo, Mitch Kupchak, John Paxson, Mark Warkentien, John Gabriel, Bob Whitsitt, Danny Ferry, Carroll Dawson, Scott Layden, Bryan Colangelo, Geoff Petrie, Jerry West, Jerry Krause, and others who helped define the role that we are all now privileged to serve."
More: How Russell Westbrook helped steal Game 1 for Nuggets against Thunder in NBA Playoffs
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Executive of Year for first time
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