The NBA Executive of the Year award is presented to the best general manager of the league every year. The award was started in the 1972-73 season, and there have been 28 different general managers who have received this award. The award was presented by Sporting News annually till 2008 and by the NBA since 2009; however, the award is recognized by the NBA. The Executive of the Year is decided on the basis of a vote count where executives of each team in the NBA vote for the general manager.
Joe Axelson was the first Executive of the Year, while Jerry Colangelo of the Phoenix Suns is the only general manager to win the Executive of the Year Award four times. Larry Bird, Pat Riley, Frank Layden and Red Auerbach are the only recipients to have received Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in their NBA careers. Larry Bird is the only one to win NBA Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. All the Executive of the Year recipients were born in the United States except for Masai Ujiri, who was the general manager of the Denver Nuggets and was born in England. He is of Nigerian-Canadian descent.
List of Annual Executive of the Year Award winners
Here is the list of Annual Executive of the Year Award winners in the NBA:
| Season | Executive | Nationality | Team |
| 1972–73 | Joe Axelson | United States | Kansas City- Omaha Kings |
| 1973–74 | Eddie Donovan | United States | Buffalo Braves |
| 1974–75 | Dick Vertlieb | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 1975–76 | Jerry Colangelo | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 1976–77 | Ray Patterson | United States | Houston Rockets |
| 1977–78 | Angelo Drossos | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1978–79 | Bob Ferry | United States | Washington Bullets |
| 1979–80 | Red Auerbach | United States | Boston Celtics |
| 1980–81 | Jerry Colangelo | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 1981–82 | Bob Ferry | United States | Washington Bullets |
| 1982–83 | Zollie Volchok | United States | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1983–84 | Frank Layden | United States | Utah Jazz |
| 1984–85 | Vince Boryla | United States | Denver Nuggets |
| 1985–86 | Stan Kasten | United States | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1986–87 | Stan Kasten | United States | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1987–88 | Jerry Krause | United States | Chicago Bulls |
| 1988–89 | Jerry Colangelo | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 1989–90 | Bob Bass | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1990–91 | Bucky Buckwalter | United States | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1991–92 | Wayne Embry | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1992–93 | Jerry Colangelo | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 1993–94 | Bob Whitsitt | United States | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1994–95 | Jerry West | United States | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1995–96 | Jerry Krause | United States | Chicago Bulls |
| 1996–97 | Bob Bass | United States | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1997–98 | Wayne Embry | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1998–99 | Geoff Petrie | United States | Sacramento Kings |
| 1999–00 | John Gabriel | United States | Orlando Magic |
| 2000–01 | Geoff Petrie | United States | Sacramento Kings |
| 2001–02 | Rod Thorn | United States | New Jersey Nets |
| 2002–03 | Joe Dumars | United States | Detroit Pistons |
| 2003–04 | Jerry West | United States | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2004–05 | Bryan Colangelo | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 2005–06 | Elgin Baylor | United States | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2006–07 | Bryan Colangelo | United States | Toronto Raptors |
| 2007–08 | Danny Ainge | United States | Boston Celtics |
| 2008–09 | Mark Warkentien | United States | Denver Nuggets |
| 2009–10 | John Hammond | United States | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2010–11 | Pat Riley | United States | Miami Heat |
| Gar Forman | United States | Chicago Bulls | |
| 2011–12 | Larry Bird | United States | Indiana Pacers |
| 2012–13 | Masai Ujiri | Nigeria | Denver Nuggets |
| 2013–14 | R. C. Buford | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2014–15 | Bob Myers | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2015–16 | R. C. Buford | United States | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2016–17 | Bob Myers | United States | Golden State Warriors |
| 2017–18 | Daryl Morey | United States | Houston Rockets |
| 2018–19 | Jon Horst | United States | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2019–20 | Lawrence Frank | United States | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2020–21 | James Jones | United States | Phoenix Suns |
| 2021–22 | Zach Kleiman | United States | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2022–23 | Monte McNair | United States | Sacramento Kings |
| 2023-24 | Brad Steven | United States | Boston Celtics |
Also Read: List of NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners
Multiple-time Executive of the Year Award Winners
Below is the list of Multiple-time Executive of the Year Award Winners as of May 2025:
| Awards | Executive | Team(s) | Years |
| 4 | Jerry Colangelo | Phoenix Suns | 1976, 1981, 1989, 1993 |
| 2 | Bob Bass | Charlotte Hornets (1) / San Antonio Spurs (1) | 1997, 1990 |
| R.C. Buford | San Antonio Spurs | 2016, 2014 | |
| Bryan Colangelo | Toronto Raptors (1) / Phoenix Suns (1) | 2007, 2005 | |
| Wayne Embry | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1998, 1992 | |
| Bob Ferry | Washington Bullets | 1982, 1979 | |
| Stan Kasten | Atlanta Hawks | 1987, 1986 | |
| Jerry Krause | Chicago Bulls | 1996, 1988 | |
| Bob Myers | Golden State Warriors | 2017, 2015 | |
| Geoff Petrie | Sacramento Kings | 2001, 1999 | |
| Jerry West | Memphis Grizzlies (1) / Los Angeles Lakers (1) | 2004, 1995 |
FAQs on Executive of the Year Award Winners
A. A general manager in the NBA is responsible for supervising the operation of support staff, contract negotiations and hiring or firing the support staff.
A. It is recommended to receive a bachelor’s degree in sports management which covers the social, economical, lawful and ethical aspects of sports. It is, however, not mandatory, many other degrees qualify for this position.
A. Red Auerbach was the best general manager in NBA history. He helped the Boston Celtics win 15 titles during his tenure from 1950 to 1984. Nine of these title wins came during his tenure as head coach.
A. The general manager needs to manage the salary of the support staff and players and to make sure the best team enter the court while the president’s goal is mostly to generate profit.
