Celtics GM Stevens claims second Executive of the Year in three seasons 2026

Boston’s Brad Stevens won his second NBA Executive of the Year award in three years after guiding the team to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference despite major roster changes.

Stevens earns second Executive honor Brad Stevens constructed a Boston team that secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference last season, only to trade away four key players to avoid a crippling luxury tax penalty. The moves backfired by anyone’s measurement, as Boston repeated as the East’s runner-up and stayed firmly in championship contention—a performance that defied expectations. Stevens’ success earned him the NBA’s Executive of the Year award on Monday, marking his second trophy in three seasons. He joins an exclusive group as the 12th two-time winner and the sixth to achieve the feat within a three-year stretch. ## Voting breakdown shows narrow margin Stevens collected 11 first-place votes from a panel of 30 league executives, each representing one of the NBA’s teams, who ranked their top three choices in order. Stevens appeared on 17 of the 30 ballots, matching Atlanta’s Onsi Saleh, who finished runner-up for the second straight year. Detroit’s Trajan Langdon, who orchestrated a dramatic rebuilding effort with the Pistons, placed third for the second consecutive season. Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti, the previous year’s recipient, settled for fifth place. San Antonio’s Brian Wright took sixth, followed by Houston’s Rafael Stone in seventh, Phoenix’s Brian Gregory in eighth, while Cleveland’s Koby Altman and Denver’s Josh Kroenke shared ninth. Memphis’ Zach Kleiman and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Rob Pelinka tied for 11th. ## Executive award differs from others in format The Executive of the Year award stands apart from most season honors, which are selected by a global panel of 100 journalists and broadcasters who cover the league and submit ballots immediately after the regular season concludes. This marks the seventh award announced since the end of the regular season, with the remaining honors still pending. Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio earned Defensive Player of the Year unanimously. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City dominated the Clutch Player of the Year vote, securing 96 of 100 possible first-place votes. Keldon Johnson of San Antonio was named Sixth Man of the Year. ## Other award winners and upcoming announcements Derrick White of Boston claimed the Sportsmanship Award, an honor selected exclusively by active NBA players rather than media or executives. Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Atlanta took Most Improved Player. Cooper Flagg of Dallas was named Rookie of the Year in a tight race over Denver’s Tidiane Knueppel. The league still plans to reveal Most Valuable Player, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, or Nikola Jokic of Denver as finalists, and Coach of the Year, where Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla are in contention. The NBA will also announce the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year and the Hustle Award later this week.