Masai Ujiri Earns Top 10 Spot in NBA's Executive of the Year Voting

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri earned the seventh-most points for the NBA's Executive of the Year award, falling well behind Memphis' Zach Kleiman

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors president and vice-chairman Masai Ujiri appears to be going a tad underappreciated in NBA circles.

Ujiri finished seventh in the NBA's Executive of the Year voting, receiving just one first-place vote, one second-place vote, and five third-place votes, the league announced Thursday. He tallied 13 points, behind Memphis' Zach Kleiman, Cleveland's Koby Altman, Chicago's Artūras Karnišovas, Phoenix's James Jones, Miami's Pat Riley, and Boston's Brad Stevens, respectively.

Kleiman, 33, won the award and became the youngest executive to earn the honors in league history. He built a Grizzlies team that finished second in the NBA during the season and matched Memphis' single-season record for victories.

While Ujiri was never really in contention for the top honors, his success this past season cannot be overlooked. Not only did he bring the team back to Toronto and battle the most restrictive COVID-19 laws of any NBA city, but his surprising decision to draft Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs in the 2021 NBA Draft proved a stroke of brilliance. Barnes earned Rookie of the Year honors and the Raptors bounced back from one disappointing season in Tampa to earn the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ujiri previously won the award in 2013 when he was a member of the Denver Nuggets. He has never won it with the Raptors.

Further Reading

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