Thunder’s Sam Presti Named NBA Exec Of Year, Narrowly Edges Cavs’ Koby Altman, Pistons’ Trajan Langdon

Sam Presti, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s longtime architect, was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the 2024-25 season, the league announced Monday.

Presti, who has led the Thunder’s front office since 2007, received the award for the first time in his career. He earned 10 of a possible 30 first-place votes and appeared on 22 ballots overall, finishing with 74 total points in voting conducted by fellow league executives.

Under Presti’s direction, Oklahoma City won an NBA-best 68 games this season and posted a league-leading +12.7 net rating — one of the best marks in league history. The Thunder ranked third in offensive rating (119.2) and led the league in defensive rating (106.6).

The team’s success followed a pair of key offseason moves by Presti, who traded Josh Giddey to Chicago in exchange for defensive specialist Alex Caruso and signed center Isaiah Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks in free agency. Hartenstein and rising star Chet Holmgren didn’t take the court together until after the trade deadline due to injuries, but the Thunder still dominated the regular season behind a young core that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Cavaliers president Koby Altman finished a close second in Executive of the Year voting with 58 points and six first-place votes. Detroit’s Trajan Langdon placed third with 52 points and six first-place votes, followed by Houston’s Rafael Stone, who earned 38 points and four first-place votes.

Thirteen executives received at least one vote. Lawrence Frank (Clippers), Rob Pelinka (Lakers), Sean Marks (Nets) and Brad Stevens (Celtics) also garnered first-place consideration.

The Thunder entered the playoffs as favorites to win the Western Conference and appear well-positioned for long-term contention with a deep roster and a stockpile of future draft picks.