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Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavs finishes runner-up in NBA Executive of the Year voting
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- Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavs finishes runner-up in NBA Executive of the Year voting
INDEPENDENCE — Cavaliers leadership has garnered respect during awards season.
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman finished runner-up in NBA Basketball Executive of the Year voting, the league announced Tuesday, May 6.
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Altman's recognition came a day after Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson was named NBA Coach of the Year .
Cavaliers news: Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year for his first season with Cleveland
Not only did Altman construct the roster the Cavs used to go 64-18 in the 2024-25 regular season and earn the Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed, but he and Cavaliers chairman Dan Gilbert also hired Atkinson this past offseason.
The voting panel for the Basketball Executive of the Year Award consisted of one hoops exec from each NBA team.
Sam Presti, the Oklahoma City Thunder 's executive vice president and general manager, won the award with 74 points in the voting system. Altman placed second with 58 points.
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With the Cavs trailing the Indiana Pacers 1-0 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series, Atkinson shouted out Altman ahead of Game 2 as he reflected on winning Coach of the Year.
"I just thought in the beginning, right, Dan Gilbert and the ownership taking a risk to hire me — thankful for that and really thankful of how they've treated me," Atkinson said. "They've kind of empowered me and let our staff do the job.
"Then I thought about Koby and the job he did putting this team together. Then our staff, incredible staff, incredible support staff, so you got that. Of course, the players gifted [me with their talent]. I keep saying I fell into this.
Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, center, accepts the professional athlete of the year award on behalf of Donovan Mitchell as Tony Rizzo, left, and Daniel Gibson look on during the 25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
"I fell into a great roster with great character. And then my family, right? All the sacrifices they make to allow me to do this crazy job. So, yeah, all those things went through my mind. So emotional night, but it was good therapy, right, after losing to Indiana in Game 1."
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Atkinson said Altman sent him a text message telling him winning NBA Coach of the Year honor is a "once in a lifetime" experience. Altman later presented Atkinson with his Coach of the Year trophy.
It's not the trophy Atkinson and Altman want most, but their individual accolades are a reflection of their roles in a historic Cavs season.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Koby Altman 2nd to OKC's Sam Presti for NBA Executive of Year
