Latest news with #ExecutiveoftheYear
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2024-25 NBA awards ballots: Who voted for members of the Rockets?
2024-25 NBA awards ballots: Who voted for members of the Rockets? With the NBA's 2024-25 awards season now complete, the league has released the individual voter ballots from its media panel. Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Ime Udoka were popular choices. In the 2024-25 regular season, the Houston Rockets enjoyed one of the biggest year-on-year jumps of any NBA team. After finishing 2023-24 with a 41-41 record and a No. 11 placement among the 15 Western Conference teams, Houston improved to 52-30 and No. 2 in the West in 2024-25. That type of growth also made the Rockets a frequent choice in the league's annual awards, which are voted on by a 100-person media panel consisting of regional, national, and international voices who cover the NBA. Second-year forward Amen Thompson made the league's All-Defensive First Team while also capturing votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Ime Udoka was a finalist for Coach of the Year. Alperen Sengun narrowly missed out on All-NBA honors. With all of the 2024-25 awards having now been handed out, the NBA has released its complete voting totals and voter ballots. The balloting was tabulated by an independent accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP. Here is a link to each category in which the Rockets had votes. The only award that isn't included is Executive of the Year (Houston's Rafael Stone finished at No. 4), since the NBA's executive award is voted on by other executives and not the media panel. All voting totals are out of a maximum combined total of 100. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Amen Thompson, Rockets (fifth place): 9 first-place votes, 12 second-place votes, 12 third-place votes Thompson's highest votes (first team) were from Kelly Iko, The Athletic; Fred Katz, The Athletic; Andy Larsen, Sale Lake Tribune; Adam Lefkoe, WarnerMedia; Brian Lewis, New York Post; Kevin O'Connor, Yahoo! Sports; Kevin Pelton, ESPN; Gary Washburn, Boston Globe; and Matt Winer, WarnerMedia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS Kia NBA Most Improved Player Amen Thompson, Rockets (seventh place): 1 first-place vote, 2 second-place votes, 7 third-place votes Thompson's first-place vote was from Frank Isola of Sirius Radio, while his second-place votes came via Chris Broussard of Fox Sports and Flavio Tranquillo of Sky Italia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS NBA Coach of the Year Ime Udoka, Rockets (third place): 7 first-place votes, 13 second-place votes, 39 third-place votes Udoka's first-place votes came from David Aldridge, The Athletic; Brian Geltzeiler, Sirius Radio; Katie George, ESPN/ABC; Yoko Miyaji, Sports Graphic Number; Kendrick Perkins, ESPN; Ryen Russillo, The Ringer; and Dennis Scott, WarnerMedia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS Kia All-NBA Team Alperen Sengun, Rockets (narrowly missed third team): 6 second-team votes, 40 third-team votes Sengun's second-team votes came from Steve Aschburner, Zach Harper, The Athletic; Frank Isola, Sirius Radio; Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic; Stephen A. Smith, ESPN; and Flavio Tranquillo, Sky Italia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS Kia NBA All-Defensive Team Amen Thompson, Rockets (named to First Team): 74 first-team votes, 23 second-team votes (named to First Team): 74 first-team votes, 23 second-team votes Dillon Brooks, Rockets: 2 first-team votes, 3 second-team votes The two first-team votes for Brooks came from Antoni Daimiel of Movistar+ and Stan Van Gundy of WarnerMedia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS Kia NBA All-Rookie Team Reed Sheppard, Rockets: 1 second-team vote The second-team vote for Sheppard came from Dennis Scott of WarnerMedia. VOTING TOTALS | VOTER BALLOTS Awards Unrepresented by Rockets Houston did not receive any votes in the following categories: Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year; Kia NBA Most Valuable Player; Kia NBA Rookie of the Year; and Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Voting totals and awards ballots for those categories are available here. More: Rockets star Amen Thompson named to NBA's All-Defensive First Team for 2024-25 season
Business Wire
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
NielsenIQ's Chief Technology Officer Mohit Kapoor Named Executive of the Year at Global Tech & AI Awards for Leading NIQ's AI-Driven Tech Transformation
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NielsenIQ (NIQ) is proud to announce that Mohit Kapoor, Chief Technology Officer, was named Executive of the Year at the inaugural Global Tech & AI Awards. This honor recognizes Mohit's exceptional leadership and visionary contributions to the tech industry, particularly in the realm of AI-powered consumer intelligence. "I am deeply honored to receive the Executive of the Year award at the Global Tech & AI Awards. This recognition is a testament to the incredible work and dedication of the entire NielsenIQ team,' said Mohit Kapoor, Chief Technology Officer, NIQ. 'Together, we have redefined consumer and retail intelligence, leveraging AI to deliver unparalleled insights and drive meaningful change in the industry." Under Mohit's leadership, NIQ has adopted an AI-powered approach to its ambitious digital transformation which included a $400 million technology investment and the migration of its global client base onto Discover – a unified, cloud-based platform that seamlessly integrates consumer panel and retail measurement data collected via 3 trillion transactions each week to deliver differentiated, real-time analytics to decision-makers across marketing, branding, and consumer strategy. NIQ's Discover integrated platform has revolutionized how 23,000 CPG and retail clients across 90 countries access and leverage data for real-time, strategic decision-making. As Chief Technology Officer, Mohit fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous innovation at NIQ by empowering the company's 1,200 data scientists, 2,000 engineers, and 2,500 analytics experts worldwide. He has also formed strategic collaboration with leading tech companies to influence their product roadmaps and has expanded NIQ's platform capabilities through collaborations with Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Snowflake. Over his 30-year career, Mohit has consistently driven transformative digital innovation across various industries. Prior to joining NIQ, Mohit held senior leadership roles at TransUnion, HSBC, Accenture, Coopers and Lybrand, and EDS. He has been recognized for his industry impact with the Chicago CIO of the Year Award (2017) and as a ComputerWorld's Premier 100 Technology Leader. About NielsenIQ NielsenIQ (NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. NIQ combined with GfK in 2023, bringing together two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. Our global reach spans over 90 countries covering approximately 85% of the world's population and more than $ 7.2 trillion in global consumer spend. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™. For more information, please visit Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. © 2025 Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 2025 NBA playoffs are shaping up to be the most memorable in years
In today's edition: NBA upsets, NHL comebacks, Inter wins 13-goal epic, Valkyries debut, White Sox find new way to lose, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines 🐎 No Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not compete in this month's Preakness Stakes, ending the Triple Crown chase. 🏀 Valkyries take the court: The WNBA's 13-team era began in earnest on Tuesday as the Golden State Valkyries, the league's first expansion team since 2008, hosted the Sparks in their preseason debut. 🏈 Manning vs. Strahan: Former Giants teammates Eli Manning and Michael Strahan are now competing to buy a minority stake in their former team. 🏀 Executive of the Year: Thunder GM Sam Presti was named the NBA's Executive of the Year, winning the award for the first time after finishing as runner-up in 2010, 2020 and 2024. 🎓 Academically ineligible: Akron football is banned from the postseason in 2025 after posting consecutive Academic Progress Rates below the NCAA's minimum threshold. 🏀 Are you not entertained? (Giphy) The NBA Playoffs delivered more drama on Tuesday with an epic comeback in Cleveland and two more wins for the underdogs. The latest: The Pacers erased a 20-point deficit (including a seven-point deficit in the final 48 seconds*) to stun the Cavaliers, and the Warriors beat the Timberwolves to continue a historic run for lower-seeded teams. Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner must be seen to be believed. Warriors 99, Timberwolves 88: Stephen Curry's hamstring injury put a damper on Golden State's victory. Thrilling start: The 2025 postseason still has a ways to go, but it's shaping up to be a memorable one. There have already been four 20-point comeback wins,** the most in a single postseason in the play-by-play era. For the first time ever, all four lower-seeded teams won their Round 2 openers and road teams are 5-0. *What a stat: Since 1997-98, teams are 3-1,640 when trailing by 7+ points in the final minute of the 4th quarter or OT in the playoffs. The Pacers, this postseason, have two of those wins. **The Thunder (down 29) came back to beat the Grizzlies, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Bucks, the Knicks (down 20) came back to beat the Celtics, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Cavaliers. 📸 Through the lens (John Locher/AP Photo) Las Vegas — Speaking of comebacks, how about the Oilers? They beat the Golden Knights, 4-2, on Tuesday to become the first team in NHL history with five straight comeback wins in a single postseason. () Washington, D.C. — Jaccob Slavin's OT game-winner lifted the Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the Capitals. Did I mention this was also a come-from-behind win? Early leads are cursed. () Miami — Shohei Ohtani's titanic blast on Tuesday made him the first player this season to reach 10 homers and 10 steals. One year after creating the 50-50 club, he's on an even faster pace. ⚽️ Inter wins 13-goal epic Davide Frattesi celebrates after scoring Inter's game-winner. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images) Inter Milan beat Barcelona in a 13-goal Champions League semifinal for the ages to advance to the title game for the second time in three years. From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: There were 13 total goals and multiple multi-goal comebacks. There was pandemonium, stoppage-time salvation and extra-time ecstasy. And at the end of a Champions League semifinal for the ages, one of the wildest that soccer has ever seen, there was Inter Milan, roaring and somehow still standing after beating Barcelona 4-3 and 7-6 on aggregate. The Italian giants, spurred on by a constant surge of San Siro noise, blew a two-goal lead but survived with an equalizer in the 93rd minute of regulation; and then won the game with a wonderful team goal in the 99th minute, deep into a wet Italian night. Keep reading. 📊 By the numbers (ESPN) 🥍 4th brother Cornell senior CJ Kirst, the all-time leading scorer in D-I lacrosse, went No. 1 overall to the Philadelphia Waterdogs in the Premier Lacrosse League draft, joining brothers Connor, Colin and Cole as the fourth Kirst in the PLL. A fifth Kirst brother, Rutgers freshman Caden, could soon join them. ⚾️ 9 runs The Giants scored 9 runs in the 11th inning of their 14-5 win over the Cubs, tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in extra innings in the last 125 years. Cubs closer Ryan Pressly allowed all nine runs without recording an out, seeing his ERA balloon from 2.08 to 7.62. 👟 5 minutes A'ja Wilson's first signature sneaker, the Nike A'Ones, sold out in five minutes on Tuesday. The three-time MVP joins Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Sydney Colson as the only active WNBA players with a signature shoe (Caitlin Clark's is in the works). 🏀 $40.5 million Fresh off leading the Gators to a national championship, Todd Golden has signed a six-year, $40.5 million extension that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. 🏈 12 years Notre Dame and Clemson struck a 12-year agreement to meet annually on the football field beginning in 2027. 📺 Watchlist: Giants clash in Paris Parc des Princes. () Paris Saint-Germain host Arsenal today (3pm ET, CBS) in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, with PSG holding a 1-0 lead. History favors Paris: PSG have won 18 of their previous 19 Champions League matchups in which they recorded a first-leg away victory, while Arsenal have never advanced after losing the first leg at home (0-5). More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Knicks (1-0) at Celtics (7pm, TNT); Nuggets (1-0) at Thunder (9:30pm, TNT) 🏒 NHL: Panthers (0-1) at Maple Leafs (7pm, ESPN); Stars at Jets (9:30pm, ESPN) ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime) … Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61 ERA) vs. Max Fried* (6-0, 1.01 ERA). 🏒 PWHL: Toronto vs. Minnesota (7pm, YouTube) … Semifinals, Game 1. *Worth every penny: Fried has been the AL's best pitcher so far, allowing just 5 earned runs in seven starts as the new staff ace with Gerrit Cole recovering from Tommy John surgery. Just what New York needed after signing him to an eight-year, $218 million contract. ⚾️ MLB trivia () Without looking, how many of the current MLB division leaders can you name? Hint: Two won their division last year. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ White Sox find new way to lose () The White Sox set an MLB record for losses last season and came up with no shortage of exotic ways to lose. So far in 2025, it has been a similar story. The latest: Chicago fumbled away a win on Tuesday against the Royals after a fly ball bounced off second baseman Chase Meidroth's head in the ninth inning. Bringing up the rear: The White Sox fell to an AL-worst 10-26 with the loss, which is at least better than the NL-worst Rockies (6-28). Trivia answer: Yankees, Tigers, Mariners, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 2025 NBA playoffs are shaping up to be the most memorable in years
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines 🐎 No Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not compete in this month's Preakness Stakes, ending the Triple Crown chase. Advertisement 🏀 Valkyries take the court: The WNBA's 13-team era began in earnest on Tuesday as the Golden State Valkyries, the league's first expansion team since 2008, hosted the Sparks in their preseason debut. 🏈 Manning vs. Strahan: Former Giants teammates Eli Manning and Michael Strahan are now competing to buy a minority stake in their former team. 🏀 Executive of the Year: Thunder GM Sam Presti was named the NBA's Executive of the Year, winning the award for the first time after finishing as runner-up in 2010, 2020 and 2024. 🎓 Academically ineligible: Akron football is banned from the postseason in 2025 after posting consecutive Academic Progress Rates below the NCAA's minimum threshold. 🏀 Are you not entertained? (Giphy) The NBA Playoffs delivered more drama on Tuesday with an epic comeback in Cleveland and two more wins for the underdogs. Advertisement The latest: The Pacers erased a 20-point deficit (including a seven-point deficit in the final 48 seconds*) to stun the Cavaliers, and the Warriors beat the Timberwolves to continue a historic run for lower-seeded teams. Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner must be seen to be believed. Warriors 99, Timberwolves 88: Stephen Curry's hamstring injury put a damper on Golden State's victory. Thrilling start: The 2025 postseason still has a ways to go, but it's shaping up to be a memorable one. There have already been four 20-point comeback wins,** the most in a single postseason in the play-by-play era. For the first time ever, all four lower-seeded teams won their Round 2 openers and road teams are 5-0. *What a stat: Since 1997-98, teams are 3-1,640 when trailing by 7+ points in the final minute of the 4th quarter or OT in the playoffs. The Pacers, this postseason, have two of those wins. **The Thunder (down 29) came back to beat the Grizzlies, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Bucks, the Knicks (down 20) came back to beat the Celtics, the Pacers (down 20) came back to beat the Cavaliers. 📸 Through the lens (John Locher/AP Photo) Las Vegas — Speaking of comebacks, how about the Oilers? They beat the Golden Knights, 4-2, on Tuesday to become the first team in NHL history with five straight comeback wins in a single postseason. () Washington, D.C. — Jaccob Slavin's OT game-winner lifted the Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the Capitals. Did I mention this was also a come-from-behind win? Early leads are cursed. () Miami — Shohei Ohtani's titanic blast on Tuesday made him the first player this season to reach 10 homers and 10 steals. One year after creating the 50-50 club, he's on an even faster pace. ⚽️ Inter wins 13-goal epic Davide Frattesi celebrates after scoring Inter's game-winner. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images) Inter Milan beat Barcelona in a 13-goal Champions League semifinal for the ages to advance to the title game for the second time in three years. Advertisement From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: There were 13 total goals and multiple multi-goal comebacks. There was pandemonium, stoppage-time salvation and extra-time ecstasy. And at the end of a Champions League semifinal for the ages, one of the wildest that soccer has ever seen, there was Inter Milan, roaring and somehow still standing after beating Barcelona 4-3 and 7-6 on aggregate. The Italian giants, spurred on by a constant surge of San Siro noise, blew a two-goal lead but survived with an equalizer in the 93rd minute of regulation; and then won the game with a wonderful team goal in the 99th minute, deep into a wet Italian night. Advertisement Keep reading. 📊 By the numbers (ESPN) 🥍 4th brother Cornell senior CJ Kirst, the all-time leading scorer in D-I lacrosse, went No. 1 overall to the Philadelphia Waterdogs in the Premier Lacrosse League draft, joining brothers Connor, Colin and Cole as the fourth Kirst in the PLL. A fifth Kirst brother, Rutgers freshman Caden, could soon join them. ⚾️ 9 runs The Giants scored 9 runs in the 11th inning of their 14-5 win over the Cubs, tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in extra innings in the last 125 years. Cubs closer Ryan Pressly allowed all nine runs without recording an out, seeing his ERA balloon from 2.08 to 7.62. Advertisement 👟 5 minutes A'ja Wilson's first signature sneaker, the Nike A'Ones, sold out in five minutes on Tuesday. The three-time MVP joins Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Sydney Colson as the only active WNBA players with a signature shoe (Caitlin Clark's is in the works). 🏀 $40.5 million Fresh off leading the Gators to a national championship, Todd Golden has signed a six-year, $40.5 million extension that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. 🏈 12 years Notre Dame and Clemson struck a 12-year agreement to meet annually on the football field beginning in 2027. 📺 Watchlist: Giants clash in Paris Parc des Princes. () Paris Saint-Germain host Arsenal today (3pm ET, CBS) in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, with PSG holding a 1-0 lead. Advertisement History favors Paris: PSG have won 18 of their previous 19 Champions League matchups in which they recorded a first-leg away victory, while Arsenal have never advanced after losing the first leg at home (0-5). More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Knicks (1-0) at Celtics (7pm, TNT); Nuggets (1-0) at Thunder (9:30pm, TNT) 🏒 NHL: Panthers (0-1) at Maple Leafs (7pm, ESPN); Stars at Jets (9:30pm, ESPN) ⚾️ MLB: Padres at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime) … Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61 ERA) vs. Max Fried* (6-0, 1.01 ERA). 🏒 PWHL: Toronto vs. Minnesota (7pm, YouTube) … Semifinals, Game 1. *Worth every penny: Fried has been the AL's best pitcher so far, allowing just 5 earned runs in seven starts as the new staff ace with Gerrit Cole recovering from Tommy John surgery. Just what New York needed after signing him to an eight-year, $218 million contract. ⚾️ MLB trivia () Without looking, how many of the current MLB division leaders can you name? Hint: Two won their division last year. Advertisement Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ White Sox find new way to lose () The White Sox set an MLB record for losses last season and came up with no shortage of exotic ways to lose. So far in 2025, it has been a similar story. The latest: Chicago fumbled away a win on Tuesday against the Royals after a fly ball bounced off second baseman Chase Meidroth's head in the ninth inning. Bringing up the rear: The White Sox fell to an AL-worst 10-26 with the loss, which is at least better than the NL-worst Rockies (6-28). Trivia answer: Yankees, Tigers, Mariners, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma City Thunder's Sam Presti named NBA Executive of the Year
Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti has been named the NBA Executive of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday. Presti got 10 first-place votes, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers' Koby Altman and Trajan Langdon of the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, who made the most impactful move of the season with the blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, finished sixth in voting. But he received a contract extension in April and was promoted from general manager to his current position. (And for anyone who may have been wondering, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, who traded Dončić, was not among the 13 executives who received votes.) Sam Presti earns executive of the gets a second and third place vote. — Steve Popper (@StevePopper) May 6, 2025 Presti finally won the award after finishing as runner-up in 2010, 2020 and 2024. He has been the Thunder's general manager since 2007, going back to the franchise's final year as the Seattle Supersonics. During his tenure, the team drafted superstar talent including Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, while also executing major trades, such as acquiring Paul George from the Indiana Pacers and Chris Paul from the Houston Rockets. He later traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers, which provided Oklahoma City with its current star and MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Presti's many deals also allowed the Thunder to stock up on first-round draft picks, which have been used to build around Gilgeous-Alexander with players including Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace. Under Presti's roster construction, in addition to hiring head coach Mark Daigneault (2024's NBA coach of the year), the Thunder developed into a team that finished with the NBA's best record this season at 68-14. Affirming excellence was a trend among voters for the Executive of the Year award. Altman was the runner-up after the Cavaliers finished with the top record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18, and Rockets GM Rafael Stone built a team that was second in the West at 52-30. The one turnaround artist receiving recognition was Langdon, who hired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and oversaw the Pistons' revival from last year's NBA-worst 14-68 to a 44-38 record this season, avoiding the play-in mix as the No. 6 seed in the East. The Thunder resume their second-round NBA playoff series versus the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Oklahoma City trails 1-0 in the series with Game 2 scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET in OKC.
