Sam Presti, the executive vice president and general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was named the 2024-25 NBA Executive of the Year after the team won a franchise-record 68 games this season.
“First and foremost, this is an organizational and community-driven award,” Presti wrote in a statement. “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,” he continued. “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.”
The voting panel for the 2024-25 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award consisted of one basketball executive from each NBA team.
The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/JTYp3oKAwq
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 6, 2025
The voting panel for the 2024-25 Executive of the Year award consisted of one basketball executive from every NBA team. First-place votes were worth five points, second-place votes were worth three points, and third-place votes were worth just one point. Presti accumulated 74 total points during the voting process, 16 more than the second-place finisher (the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Koby Altman).
Presti received ten first-place votes, the most amongst any executive nominated for this year’s award. He also received six second-place votes and six third-place votes.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Sam Presti Named 2024-25 @NBA Executive of the Year pic.twitter.com/gnMi1dFfFM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2025
Presti has been a member of the Thunder organization for 18 years. He had previously finished as the runner-up for the NBA Executive of the Year award three different times (2009-10, 2019-20, and 2023-24).
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently facing the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Game Two of that series is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EDT tomorrow.
