From Intern to General Manager

On June 7, the Seattle SuperSonics hired Sam Presti as their new general manager. Presti became the youngest current general manager in the NBA at thirty years old. He also became the second youngest general manager in league history to Jerry Colangelo, who was 28 years old when he took the job with the Phoenix Suns in 1968.

Presti was born in Concord, Massachusetts. His career started in high school when he was the captain of the Emerson College basketball team. While at Emerson, he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate and the first in the school’s history. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2000 in communications, politics and law.

In 2000, he began his career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. Presti began with the Spurs as an intern making $250 a week. After one season, he was named the team’s basketball special assistant. In September 2002, he was promoted to assistant director of scouting. The Spurs named Presti the director of player personnel in September 2003, and then became the Spurs assistant general manager in September of 2005.

Presti launched himself through the Spurs organization when he led the design and implementation of the Spurs scouting database, a system that is now being used by numerous teams throughout the NBA. He spent valuable time around great leaders like Avery Johnson, Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter, Peter Holt, Greg Popovich, R.C. Buford, and P.J. Carlesimo.

Presti stresses his belief in team defense and strong character players. He also values versatile players, who fit into the team’s system. He has said that taking responsiblity for performance and effort is something that he holds highly.

During the first two months of his time with Seattle, Presti already has experienced a great deal. Seattle is threatening to relocate under their new ownership, led by Clay Bennett. He has also added Kurt Thomas, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Deltone West, while trading Ray Allen and their 2007 draft pick, which became Glen Davis. Additionally, Presti hired Carlesimo, who he worked with in San Antonio. Presti also allowed Rashard Lewis to leave for Orlando for a maximum value contract.

In a short time, Presti has begun to shape Seattle into the contender that the Spurs have been over the last decade. With Durant and Green leading the way, along with cap flexibility and future first round picks, the SuperSonics should turnaround their fortunes quickly.