NBA NEWS - Phoenix’s James Jones wins Basketball Executive of the Year Award

On June 26, 2002 Yao Ming was selected by the Houston Rockets with the NBA draft's first pick

June 26, 1996 The Philadelphia 76ers selected Georgetown guard Allen Iverson with the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft - (Keith Allison - photo)

With Jones leading the Basketball Operations department, Phoenix assembled a roster that posted the second-best record in the NBA (51-21) and the fifth-highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history (.708). The Suns made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season - THIS DAY IN THE NBA

NEW YORK, NY USA.

Saturday June 26, 2021

NBA team basketball executives have selected Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones as the winner of the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award, the NBA announced. This is the first NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Jones, who has served two seasons as the Suns’ general manager and four seasons overall in the team’s front office.

Jones received nine of the 30 first-place votes and earned 65 total points from the voting panel, which comprised one basketball executive from each team. Utah Jazz Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Dennis Lindsey finished in second place with 61 points (nine first-place votes). Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks finished in third place with 51 points (five 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.

With Jones leading the Basketball Operations department, Phoenix assembled a roster that posted the second-best record in the NBA (51-21) and the fifth-highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history (.708). The Suns made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Head coach Monty Williams, whose hiring in May 2019 was overseen by Jones, finished in second place for the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year Award.

Last November, Jones reshaped the Suns’ roster by acquiring guard Chris Paul in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and signing forward Jae Crowder as a free agent. Paul averaged 16.4 points and 8.9 assists in his first season with Phoenix and joined Suns guard Devin Booker as a 2021 NBA All-Star selection. Crowder made a team-high 148 three-pointers this season.

Jones also re-signed forward Dario Šaric, who averaged 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds this season as a valuable reserve. Key contributors also included Cameron Payne, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 assists in his first full season as a Sun after signing with Phoenix in June 2020 in advance of the 2019-20 season restart. Jones further bolstered the roster during the season as the Suns acquired forward Torrey Craig in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on March 18. Craig averaged 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 32 games with Phoenix.

Phoenix hired Jones as vice president of basketball operations in July 2017. He handled general manager duties on an interim basis for the 2018-19 season and was named the team’s GM in April 2019. Jones joined the Suns after playing 14 seasons and winning three championships in the NBA.

The voting results for the 2020-21 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award are below. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.

VOTES

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

June 26, 1991 The Charlotte Hornets selected forward Larry Johnson of UNLV with the first pick in the 1991 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden. Johnson went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 19.2 ppg and 11.0 rpg.

June 26, 1996 The Philadelphia 76ers selected Georgetown guard Allen Iverson with the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey.

June 26, 2000 Twelve-year NBA veteran Hersey Hawkins and second-year WNBA pro Dawn Staley received the Citizenship Through Sports Award at the Gannett Building in Arlington, Va. The Citizenship Through Sports Award is given by the professional, college, school and Olympic communities to collectively recognize athletes for outstanding citizenship, sportsmanship, ethical conduct and community service. The award is an effort by the largest sports partnership, the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance, to salute athletes who have demonstrated the values of citizenship through sportsmanship and ethical play. The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) is an organization of 10 members representing the NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, NFL, NHL, NCAA, NAIA, National Federation of State High School Associations, (NFHS), National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

June 26, 2002 Yao Ming was selected by the Houston Rockets with the draft's first pick, the first time a player who had played neither high school or college basketball in the United States was the top selection.

Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.