Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird has been named the 2011/12 Executive of the Year, the NBA announced today in a press release. The award makes Bird the first person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
"This is an honor for the Indiana Pacers, not an award for Larry Bird," said Bird. "Everyone in this franchise put in a lot of work and showed a lot of patience as we have tried to get this team to a level on and off the court the fans in Indiana can be proud of. You always believe, and hope, the players you get will fit into a plan and I’m very proud of what our guys and our coaches have accomplished so far this year."
Bird and the Pacers signed David West in the offseason, and orchestrated trades for Louis Amundson and Leandro Barbosa, while maintaining cap flexibility in the long- and short-term. Indiana finished the season third in the Eastern Conference, with a 42-24 record.
R.C. Buford of the Spurs was the runner-up in voting among NBA executives, while Clippers GM Neil Olshey finished third.