Denver Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who built a roster that won a franchise-best 57 games, was named Thursday as the 2012-13 NBA Executive of the Year.
Ujiri, the first African-born general manager in a major American sport, is the third Nuggets executive to receive the award, after Mark Warkentien (2008-09) and Vince Boryla (1984-85).
Also, George Karl was named NBA Coach of the Year on Wednesday.
The Nuggets lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Ujiri assembled a group that featured nine players who averaged between 8.0 and 16.7 points per game and a bench that ranked second overall in scoring, at 41.3 points per game.
One of Ujiri’s biggest moves heading into 2012-13 came on Aug. 10, when he landed Andre Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a four-team trade. Iguodala averaged 13 points, 5.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 80 games.