Phoenix Suns president named NBA Executive of Year
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-17 09:17

Phoenix Suns president Bryan Colangelo has been named NBA executive of the year by The Sporting News, The Associated Press has learned.

Phoenix Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo (L) hands the NBA Coach of the Year trophy over to Head Coach Mike D'Antoni during a press conference at America West Arena in Phoenix Arizona, May 10, 2005. [Reuters]

Colangelo, whose front-office moves helped lead the Suns to the third-biggest turnaround in league history, will be presented the award at a news conference on Tuesday, said a league source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The award is determined by a vote of NBA team executives but is not an official league award. The winner last year was Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West.

The Suns have already grabbed two of the league's top awards. Steve Nash won most valuable player and Mike D'Antoni took coach of the year.

Colangelo was behind the decision last season to trade Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway to the New York Knicks, clearing salary cap room that led to the signing of free agents Nash and Quentin Richardson.

The Suns went from 29-53 last season to an NBA-best 62-20 this season. During the year, Colangelo engineered trades that brought in veterans Jim Jackson and Walter McCarty to bolster the team's weak bench.

The Suns became one of the NBA's feel-good stories with a refreshing, high-speed style. They led the NBA in scoring at 110 points per game, the highest in the league in a decade.

The award is further evidence of the emergence of Colangelo from the shadow of his father, Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo. The elder Colangelo came to Phoenix as general manager of the expansion Suns and later formed a group to purchase the franchise.

Last year, Jerry Colangelo's group sold the Suns to San Diego businessman Robert Sarver for $401 million. Bryan Colangelo became one of the team's minority owners and retained his job as president and head of basketball operations

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