Men's Basketball 12/21/2012 12:48:00 PM

OCU to recognize Presti

Thunder general manager to be honored at March 25 Sports Spectacular

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti is regarded as one of the sharpest executives in the NBA.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President & General Manager Sam Presti will be recognized as Oklahoma City University's 2012-13 recipient of the Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award for Sports Excellence at the annual OCU Sports Spectacular dinner and auction 6 p.m. Monday, March 25 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
The Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award honors an individual who significantly contributes to the growth of sports in the state. Last year's honoree was Oklahoma City University rowing coach Mike Knopp.
Past award winners are Ron Norick, Clay Bennett, Lee Allan Smith, Dr. William Grana, Stanley Draper Jr., Bob Funk, Barry Switzer, Mick Cornett, the late Bobby Murcer, Bart Conner, Bill Self, Tom J. McDaniel and Sherri Coale.
The OCU Sports Spectacular includes a dinner, entertainment and live and silent auctions. Proceeds benefit OCU's 19 varsity intercollegiate sports programs and the Paul Hansen Memorial Scholarship and the Abe Lemons Endowed Athletic Scholarship. Those scholarships provide funding to OCU student-athletes who have completed their eligibility and are within one year of graduation.
The auction typically features a variety of items. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is located on 1700 NE 63rd Street in Oklahoma City. Individual tickets are $100, and tables for eight are $750. Please RSVP by March 16. For ticket or sponsorship information or to donate auction items, call (405) 208-5660 or (405) 208-5309.
“Oklahoma City University Athletics is proud to recognize individuals that have made significant contributions to sports in Oklahoma,” Oklahoma City University athletic director Jim Abbott said. “Sam Presti's impact on our city and state has been remarkable, to say the least. We look forward to the opportunity to both honor and thank Sam for his hard work.”
Sam Presti is in his sixth season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being named the 11th General Manager in club history on June 7, 2007. A year into his tenure with the Thunder, Presti was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager by Professional Basketball Club Chairman Clayton Bennett.
During his five-plus seasons with the Thunder, Presti has worked diligently to assemble the building blocks for long-term success both on and off the court.
This past season, Presti and his staff oversaw the Thunder's 47-win season (.712) as Oklahoma City claimed a second consecutive Northwest Division Championship and reached the NBA Finals. This occurred on the heels of the 2010-11 season, when the Thunder become the youngest team in the last quarter century to reach the NBA's Western Conference Finals.
During the 2009-10 season, Presti's third year at the helm, Oklahoma City experienced one of the largest turnarounds in NBA history. A year after winning 23 games, the Thunder concluded the 2009-10 season with a 50-32 record (.610) and captured the franchise's first playoff berth in Oklahoma City. The 27-win improvement was tied for the eighth largest improvement in NBA history. Presti was named NBA Executive of the Year by The Sporting News at the conclusion of the season.
Presti's consistent focus has been to utilize the NBA Draft to establish the foundation for sustained success on the floor and in the community. Commencing with the 2007 draft, Presti selected Kevin Durant, the University of Texas standout, with the team's No. 2 overall pick. Since then, Durant has blossomed into one of the premiere players in the NBA. Last season, Durant became just the seventh player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons.
In the 2008 NBA Draft, Presti went on to select UCLA guard Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka with the fourth and 24th selections, respectively.
Since moving to Oklahoma City in July of 2008, Presti has stressed the importance of community involvement for both Thunder players and staff. Under his leadership, the Thunder players have made more than 1,000 community appearances in and around Oklahoma City.
Presti has been on the NBA's Instant Replay Committee since 2009, and this past season he was selected as one of four NBA general managers to serve on the newly reconstituted Competition Committee.
Prior to joining the Thunder, the 36-year-old Presti held a variety of roles with the San Antonio Spurs. After starting in 2000 as a video intern for Gregg Popovich, in 2005 Presti was promoted to the role of vice president and assistant general manager and held that role until 2007. As a member of the Spurs, Presti was part of NBA Championship teams in 2003, 2005, and 2007 as well as five division titles.
Presti earned his bachelor's degree in 2000 in communications, politics and law from Emerson College in Boston, where he was the first Rhodes Scholar nominee in school history. The Concord, Mass., native served as team captain of the Emerson College basketball team during both his junior and senior seasons. In addition, Presti earned All-Academic honors two times and was twice selected to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Tournament team. He was honored with the Emerson College Young Alumnus Award in 2005.
Presti currently resides on the board of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and with the support of the Thunder has established the Forward Thinking Leadership Development Program within the Oklahoma City public schools.
Additionally, Presti is actively involved with PeacePlayers International (PPI), a global outreach program focused on bringing children and communities together through the game of basketball. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Shooting Touch, an organization that grants graduating college seniors the opportunity to travel the world and use the platform of basketball to help foster education and influence positive social change in third world global communities.
An accomplished drummer, Presti has produced three music CDs with all proceeds benefiting the Extra Ordinary Needs Fund at Children's Hospital in Boston. In addition, Presti established the Keenan Smith-Anthony Halls Scholarship Fund at his former high school, Concord-Carlisle, to assist students with their college tuition.
Sports Spectacular Invitation
Donation Form

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