NEW YORK – Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird is the recipient of the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year award, the NBA announced today.

As President of Basketball Operations, Bird oversaw a Pacers team that went 42-24 (.636), earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing with the league’s fifth-best record.

Bird set the tone for the 2011-12 season by naming Frank Vogel, who had served in an interim capacity for 46 games during the 2010-11 season, head coach on July 6, 2011. He added to an already strong nucleus by signing David West in December, and beefed up the Pacers’ bench by trading for Lou Amundson and Leandro Barbosa. Indiana’s draft picks under Bird’s watch have included three key contributors on this year’s team: Paul George (2010), Tyler Hansbrough (2009), and Roy Hibbert (2008).

A three-time MVP as a player (1984, 85, 86) with the Boston Celtics, the Indiana basketball legend won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1997-98, his first season on the sidelines, after guiding the Pacers to a 58-24 mark. In three seasons as head coach, Bird led Indiana to a 147-67 record and its only Finals appearance in 2000. Bird is the only person to win all three awards – MVP, Coach and Executive of the Year. Red Auerbach, Frank Layden and Pat Riley are the only people to earn both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.

Bird totaled 88 points and received 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives throughout the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs’ R.C. Buford finished second with 56 points (eight first-place votes) votes and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Neil Olshey finished third with 55 points (six first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Below are the results of the voting for the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

2011-12 NBA EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS

Executive, Team                            1^st           2^nd          3^rd           Total

Larry Bird, Indiana                       12           8             4             88

R.C. Buford, San Antonio               8             4             4             56

Neil Olshey, L.A. Clippers              6             7             4             55

Gar Forman, Chicago                      2             2             –              16

Kevin O’Connor, Utah                    –              2             4             10

Glen Grunwald, New York              –              2             2             8

Pat Riley, Miami                             1             –              2             7

Sam Presti, Oklahoma City             1             –              –              5

Chris Wallace, Memphis                 –              1             2             5

David Kahn, Minnesota                   –              1             1             4

Rod Thorn, Philadelphia                   –              1             –        3

Dell Demps, New Orleans               –              1             –              3

Rick Sund, Atlanta                          –              1             –              3

Danny Ainge, Boston                      –              –              1             1

John Hammond, Milwaukee            –              –              1             1

Lon Babby, Phoenix                        –              –              1             1

Mitch Kupchak, L.A. Lakers           –              –              1             1

Otis Smith, Orlando                        –              –              1             1

Masai Ujiri, Denver                         –              –              1             1

 

Following is the all-time list of winners:

ALL-TIME NBA EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

1972-73   Joe Axelson, K.C./Omaha

1973-74   Eddie Donovan, Buffalo

1974-75   Dick Vertlieb, Golden State

1975-76   Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix

1976-77   Ray Patterson, Houston

1977-78   Angelo Drossos, San Antonio

1978-79   Bob Ferry, Washington

1979-80   Red Auerbach, Boston

1980-81   Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix

1981-82   Bob Ferry, Washington

1982-83   Zollie Volchok, Seattle

1983-84   Frank Layden, Utah

1984-85   Vince Boryla, Denver

1985-86   Stan Kasten, Atlanta

1986-87   Stan Kasten, Atlanta

1987-88   Jerry Krause, Chicago

1988-89   Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix

1989-90   Bob Bass, San Antonio

1990-91   Bucky Buckwalter, Portland

1991-92   Wayne Embry, Cleveland

1992-93   Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix

1993-94   Bob Whitsitt, Seattle

1994-95   Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers

1995-96   Jerry Krause, Chicago

1996-97   Bob Bass, Charlotte

1997-98   Wayne Embry, Cleveland

1998-99   Geoff Petrie, Sacramento

1999-00   John Gabriel, Orlando

2000-01   Geoff Petrie, Sacramento

2001-02   Rod Thorn, New Jersey

2002-03   Joe Dumars, Detroit

2003-04   Jerry West, Memphis

2004-05   Bryan Colangelo, Phoenix

2005-06   Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Clippers

2006-07   Bryan Colangelo, Toronto

2007-08   Danny Ainge, Boston

2008-09   Mark Warkentien, Denver

2009-10   John Hammond, Milwaukee

2010-11   Gar Forman, Chicago

Pat Riley, Miami

2011-12   Larry Bird, Indiana