 Presti in 2025 | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Executive Vice President & General Manager |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 1977 (age 47–48) Concord, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Concord-Carlisle (Concord, Massachusetts) |
| College |
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| Career highlights | |
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Samuel Clay Prestigiacomo (born November 1976[1]) is an Americanbasketball executive who is currently the executive vice president and general manager for theOklahoma City Thunder of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He has held the position since 2007 when he was hired at 30 years old, making Presti the second-youngest person to ever hold the position in the NBA. As of 2025, Presti is the third-longest tenured head of basketball operations in the league. Under his leadership, the Thunder won their first NBA championship in 2025, marking a historic milestone for the franchise.
After graduating fromEmerson College, Presti was working at a basketball camp before being offered an internship bySan Antonio Spurs general managerR.C. Buford. Buford was refereeing a game as Presti delivered a sales pitch while running along the court with Buford.[2] Starting off as a video coordinator for Spurs head coachGregg Popovich, Presti rose through the front office ranks becoming assistant director of scouting in 2002 and later moved to director of player personnel in 2003. He was finally elevated to the position of Vice President and Assistant General Manager in 2005.[3] Prior to the2001 NBA draft, Presti was instrumental for encouraging the Spurs to draftTony Parker. Presti would show up at Buford's home with footage of Parker during his tenure withParis Basket Racing.[4] Parker went on to play 18 seasons in the NBA, making six All-Star teams, and winning four NBA championships. During Parker's jersey retirement, he acknowledged Presti's recommendation for the Spurs to draft him.
“Sam, I know you’re in the arena,” Parker said Monday, illuminated by a spotlight in the middle of the court. “Man, you and R.C. (Buford, former Spurs general manager and current CEO), you were ahead of your time. You took a gamble on me, because I was terrible in my first workout with the Spurs. Man, I was terrible."[5]
— Tony Parker
As a member of the Spurs, Presti was part of the2003,2005, and2007 Spurs championship teams, including five division titles.
On June 7, 2007, theSeattle SuperSonics named Presti as the newest general manager after former general managerRick Sund was demoted to a consultant.[6] Sonics ownerClay Bennett viewed Presti as "thoughtful, methodical, and measured" who had "an important role within [the Spurs] and contributed to their winning and how they do business."[7] While Sonics presidentLenny Wilkens interviewed others, Bennett, who had been a partner in the Spurs organization, interviewed and was impressed by Presti enough to demote Wilkens to "vice chairman" to give Presti full power.[8] With the hiring, Presti became the league's current youngest general manager, second in NBA history behindJerry Colangelo.[9]
Entering the2007 NBA draft, the Sonics were transitioning into a rebuilding phase following a 31–51 record in the2006-07 season. On draft night, Presti completed his first trade by acquiringJeff Green, the 5th overall pick in a blockbuster trade involving Sonics guardRay Allen. Green joinedKevin Durant, the 2nd overall pick, inSeattle as Presti's first two draftees in his career.[10] Presti then signed-and-traded Sonics forwardRashard Lewis in exchange for a second-round pick and a trade exception worth $9 million. To fill in the trade exception, Presti acquiredKurt Thomas and two future first-round picks, one of the picks becoming future Thunder forwardSerge Ibaka.[11] To finish his first offseason, Presti hired Spurs assistant coachP.J. Carlesimo who worked with Presti inSan Antonio.[12] The Sonics finished the2007-08 season with a 20–62 record, their worst record in franchise history. Presti's first draft pick, Durant, was namedNBA Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.[13]
After the season, Presti made his final appearance as the Sonics in the2008 NBA draft, draftingRussell Westbrook, the 4th overall pick, andSerge Ibaka, the 24th overall pick. Before the start of the2008-09 season, Presti joined the franchise in their relocation toOklahoma City in July 2008 becoming theOklahoma City Thunder.
In Presti's first season inOklahoma City, the Thunder firedP.J. Carlesimo following a 1–12 start and namedScott Brooks as interim coach.[14] Under Brooks, the Thunder finished the season 23–59 withRussell Westbrook being named to theNBA All-Rookie First Team.[15] Brooks was later permanently named as head coach for the Thunder. In the2009 NBA draft, the Thunder made their first appearance since relocating and draftedJames Harden, the 3rd overall pick.[16]Kevin Durant,Russell Westbrook, and Harden will later go on to form a "Big 3" inOklahoma City and was aided with the additions ofSerge Ibaka andThabo Sefolosha. After their inaugural season, the Thunder experienced one of the largest turnarounds improving to a 50–32 record and clinched their first playoff berth as the eighth seed. The Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to qualify for the playoffs.[17] During the season,Kevin Durant was named an All-Star and became the youngest scoring leader at 21-years old.[18][19] At the end of the season, Durant was named to theAll-NBA First Team, head coachScott Brooks was namedNBA Coach of the Year,James Harden was named to theNBA All-Rookie Second Team, andThabo Sefolosha was named to theNBA All-Defensive Second Team.[20][21][22]
In their third season inOklahoma City, the Thunder finished 55–27 withRussell Westbrook being named to his first All-Star game.[23] Building off last season, the Thunder reached the Western Conference finals as the 4th seed and became the second-youngest team to do so. However, the Thunder lost to the eventual championsDallas Mavericks in five games. After the2011 NBA lockout, the Thunder continued their recent success and clinched the second seed with a 47–19 record. Prior to the playoffs,James Harden was namedNBA Sixth Man of the Year,Kevin Durant won his third consecutive scoring title and named to his third All-NBA First Team,Russell Westbrook was named to his second All-NBA Second Team andSerge Ibaka was named to his first All-Defensive First Team.[24][25] In the playoffs, the Thunder swept the defending championsDallas Mavericks, defeated theLos Angeles Lakers in five games, and came back down two games to defeat theSan Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals to advance to theNBA Finals for the first time since1996 when the franchise was inSeattle. Against theMiami Heat, the Thunder won Game 1 but lost the next four and the series in five games.
A year away from restricted free agency following the2012-13 season, Presti andJames Harden were unable to work out a contract extension prior to the start of the season. Presti offered a four-year, $55 million extension which was $4.5 million less than the max contract that Harden coveted.[26] Due to the NBA's luxury tax, the Thunder were unwilling to offer a max extension to Harden in order to avoid paying hefty taxes.[27] After 2012 preseason, the Thunder traded Harden to theHouston Rockets in exchange forKevin Martin,Jeremy Lamb, a 2013 first-round pick, a 2013 second-round pick, and a 2014 first-round pick.[28] Presti and the Thunder management faced heavy criticism throughout Harden's tenure inHouston for the trade and for breaking up the team's "Big 3." Harden would later go on to win an MVP with the Rockets in 2018. Despite the trade, the Thunder finished the season with a 60–22 record, finishing first in the Western Conference and second overall in the league. Against Harden and the Rockets in the playoffs,Russell Westbrook collided withPatrick Beverley and suffered a season-ending injury. The Thunder eventually fell to theMemphis Grizzlies in the second round, falling short of their finals appearance from last season. In the2013-14 season, the Thunder finished with a 59–23 record asKevin Durant was namedNBA Most Valuable Player however the Thunder lost in the conference finals in a rematch with theSan Antonio Spurs. After an injury-riddled2014-15 season, Presti fired head coachScott Brooks after seven season with the team which highlighted a finals appearance, three conference finals appearance and an NBA Coach of the Year award.[29] To replace Brooks, Presti hiredBilly Donovan for the2015-16 season.[30] The Thunder clinched the third seed with a 55–27 record, returning to the playoffs after missing it last season. In the playoffs, the Thunder defeated theDallas Mavericks in five games and defeated the 67-winSan Antonio Spurs in six games. Making their fourth conference finals appearance in six years, the Thunder led the defending championsGolden State Warriors who went 73–9 in the regular season with a 3–1 series lead. The Thunder would later go on to lose the next three games and lose the series in seven. After the season,Serge Ibaka was traded andKevin Durant controversially left the Thunder after spending nine seasons with the organization, one year inSeattle.[31][32]
Kevin made an indelible mark on the Thunder organization and the state of Oklahoma as a founding father of this franchise. We can't adequately articulate what he meant to the foundation of this franchise and our success. While clearly disappointing that he has chosen to move on, the core values that he helped establish only lead to us thanking him for the many tangible and intangible ways that he helped our program.[33]
— Sam Presti
With Durant's departure, Presti andRussell Westbrook agreed to a renegotiation-and-extension of his contract worth $85.7 million after speculations whether Westbrook would be traded.[34] In absence of Durant, Westbrook brokeOscar Robertson's most triple-doubles in a season with 42 and was named NBA Most Valuable Player after the Thunder's first round loss.[35] To improve Westbrook's supporting cast, the Thunder traded for All-StarPaul George andCarmelo Anthony.[36][37] George was traded by theIndiana Pacers following rumors of wanting to leave next season in free agency for theLos Angeles Lakers. However, Presti decided to gamble and traded for him to entice him to re-sign long term. George would later re-sign with the Thunder next offseason.[38]
After three disappointing seasons after Durant's departure, Presti tradedPaul George to theLos Angeles Clippers in exchange forShai Gilgeous-Alexander,Danilo Gallinari, a 2021 first-round pick via MIA, a 2022 first-round pick via LAC, a 2023 first-round pick via MIA, rights to swap 2023 first-round picks with LAC, a 2024 first-round pick via LAC, rights to swap 2025 first-round picks with LAC and a 2026 first-round pick via LAC.[39] Following George's trade, Presti then tradedRussell Westbrook to theHouston Rockets in exchange forChris Paul, rights to swap 2021 first-round picks, a 2024 first-round pick, rights to swap 2025 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick.[40] This trade reunited Westbrook with former teammateJames Harden inHouston. With the trade of Westbrook, the Thunder effectively "ended" their first iteration of the team inOklahoma City since moving fromSeattle. After an unexpected2019-20 season, Presti began a rebuilding process with the Thunder, trading away key veterans inChris Paul, who made an All-Star game and an All-NBA selection,Steven Adams,Danilo Gallinari, andDennis Schröder. Before the start of the2020-21 season, Presti and head coachBilly Donovan mutually agreed to part ways after five seasons as the team transitioned into a rebuilding phase.[41]Mark Daigneault was later named as the team's new head coach, marking the fourth coach in Thunder history.[42]
Building aroundShai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder had their own lottery pick, the first since 2014, and selectedJosh Giddey, the 6th overall pick, in the2021 NBA draft. Throughout the2020 and2022 seasons, Presti gained a reputation for acquiring numerous draft picks adding up to 38 future picks, 19 in the first round and 19 in the second round.[43] In the2022 NBA draft, Presti draftedChet Holmgren, the 2nd overall pick, andJalen Williams, the 12th overall pick. During the2022-23 season,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a star, being named to his first All-Star game, an All-NBA First Team nomination, and led the Thunder to a 40–42 record.[44] After narrowly missing the playoffs, the Thunder entered the draft lottery for the third consecutive year. In the2023 NBA draft, Presti acquired the draft rights toCason Wallace, the 10th overall pick in a trade with theDallas Mavericks.[45] On June 21, 2024, Presti traded Giddey to theChicago Bulls in exchange for guardAlex Caruso. The following season the Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals marking Presti’s first championship as a GM.
Presti and his wife, Shannon, have a son and twin daughters. His wife currently serves as the Teen Leadership Initiatives Coordinator for the YMCA of GreaterOklahoma City.[46]
Before joining theSan Antonio Spurs, Presti played basketball forEmerson College andVirginia Wesleyan University. After two seasons at Virginia Wesleyan, Presti transferred to Emerson, attributing his passion for music as his reason. At Emerson, Presti graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications, politics, and law.[47]
In 1998, while at Emerson College, Presti released a jazz-rap album titled “Milk Money” through the labelRelativity Records. Mike Tucker (saxophone) and Matthew Morin (piano) played instruments on the album. The following year, Presti released a second album titled “All Things Considered”. In 2025 “Milk Money” leaked online, but was removed shortly after.
