Brad Stevens built a Boston roster that earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, then had to part ways with four members of that roster to escape what could have been a massive luxury tax bill.
The result? Boston was No. 2 in the East again — and remains a legitimate championship hopeful in a season when many likely expected otherwise.
It all earned Stevens the NBA’s Executive of the Year award on Tuesday, his second time winning that trophy in the past three seasons. He’s the 12th two-time winner and the sixth person to win twice within a three-year span.
“These awards are organizational awards, and everyone in this building shares in this recognition,” Stevens said in remarks distributed by the Celtics. “I am just thankful to be there in a support role for our players, coaches and staff. They are truly amazing. There’s nothing I cherish more professionally than getting to be a part of a true TEAM and competing at the highest level, and I am thankful to the Celtics for giving us that opportunity.”
Stevens got 11 first-place votes from a panel of 30 basketball executives — one from each of the NBA’s teams — who ranked their top three choices in order. Stevens appeared on 17 of those 30 ballots, as did Atlanta’s Onsi Saleh, who finished second. Detroit’s Trajan Langdon, who has overseen a massive turnaround with the Pistons, was third for the second consecutive season.
Sam Presti of Oklahoma City, last year’s winner, was fifth. San Antonio’s Brian Wright was sixth, Houston’s Rafael Stone seventh, Phoenix’s Brian Gregory eighth, while Cleveland’s Koby Altman and Denver’s Josh Kroenke tied for ninth. Memphis’ Zach Kleiman and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Rob Pelinka tied for 11th.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Stevens has been accessible to him since he became one of his assistant coaches in 2019 and it has continued since Mazzulla became coach prior to the 2022-23 season.
“I think communication and kind of how we see the game,” Mazzulla said. “We’re in meetings every day talking to each other. Whether it was an argument, whether it was something we agreed on, conversation going back and forth talking to him about things. I think just being around each other every day, how we communicate –- how we can get through wins and losses, playoff series. You just develop, obviously, an understanding with each other that allow you to pull from each other’s experiences.”
The Executive of the Year award is not like most NBA season honors that are voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.
This was the seventh award to be announced by the NBA since the end of the regular season. The others:
— San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
— Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got 96 of a possible 100 first-place votes to win the Clutch Player of the Year award.
— San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson won Sixth Man of the Year.
— Boston’s Derrick White won the Sportsmanship Award. That award, unlike most others, is selected solely by active NBA players.
— Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker won Most Improved Player.
— Dallas’ Cooper Flagg is the Rookie of the Year.
Other award announcements yet to be scheduled include Most Valuable Player (either Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver’s Nikola Jokic) and Coach of the Year (either Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson or Boston’s Mazzulla).
The NBA will announce the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year and the Hustle Award winner later this week.
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