Local News
“These awards are organizational awards, and everyone in this building shares in this recognition,” said Stevens.
The Celtics have been a top-two seed in each of Stevens’s five seasons as an executive with the team. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
April 28, 2026
3 minutes to read
Brad Stevens, the Celtics president of basketball operations, was named NBA Executive of the Year for the second time in three seasons, the league announced Tuesday.
Stevens, who also won the award in 2024, earned 69 total points in the voting, with Atlanta’s Onsi Saleh (41), and Detriot’s Trajan Langdon (40) rounding out the top three candidates.
Stevens received 11 first-place votes. He was the only candidate to get more than six. He is the 12th NBA executive to win the award more than once. Stevens joined Red Auerbach, and Danny Ainge as the Celtic executives to win the award.
“These awards are organizational awards, and everyone in this building shares in this recognition,” said Stevens. “I am just thankful to be there in a support role for our players, coaches and staff. They are truly amazing.”
“There’s nothing I cherish more professionally than getting to be a part of a true team and competing at the highest level, and I am thankful to the Celtics for giving us that opportunity.”
The Celtics, who absorbed a 113-97 loss in Game 5 against the 76ers at TD Garden, have won at least 51 games in each of the past five seasons since Stevens took over the position in 2021. They reached the NBA Finals twice in that span, winning the championship in 2024.
The Knicks eliminated the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs last season, marking the only time Boston failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals over that five-year stretch.
The Celtics’ 118-91 setback in Game 6 against the Knicks was exacerbated by Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon. It led to Tatum’s lengthy absence at the beginning of this season and a turnover of the Celtics’ roster, with the trade of Kristaps Porzingis (Hawks) and Jrue Holiday (Blazers) in the offseason in addition to the free agent departures of Al Horford (Warriors) and Luke Kornet (Spurs).
Despite those changes, the Celtics won 56 games during the regular season and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, overcoming what had been projected as a gap year. Through a combination savvy acquisitions and player development, Stevens helped keep the team competitive.
“I think [it’s] not just him, but the front office in general,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “The front office, the scouting department, the analytics department. There’s a lot that goes into signing a guy, drafting a guy, and bringing a guy in.
“It’s a very diligent process. A lot of communication goes into that. I think there’s a lot of alignment into how we play basketball. So, with that, [they] allow people to do their jobs and those guys are really good at what they do.”
Stevens coached the Celtics for eight seasons before becoming an executive. Mazzulla said Stevens’s support and coaching experience have been helpful to him over the years.
“I think just being around each other every day — having to get through wins, losses, playoff series — you just develop an understanding of each other, a level of communication, and an alignment. Then, you just pull from each other’s experiences because you’ve been there together.”
Embiid gave it a go
Philadelphia center Joel Embiid made his second appearance in the series, again starting at center after being listed as probable.
He led the way with 33 points in a 113-97 victory that helped the 76ers stave off elimination and force a Game 6 in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Embiid shot 12-for-23 from the field and looked increasingly comfortable as the night went on following a 1-for-7 start.
“We talked about it at one of the timeouts,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “Listen, we’ve got to go through Joel in the post because they’re starting to send people and from here on out, somebody should give us an open look if we make the right decisions.”
Sunday’s Game 4 loss was the first time Embiid played since having an emergency appendectomy last month.
Embiid and the 76ers will head back to Philadelphia on the brink of elimination, yet they are also one win away from tying the series.
“Our fans deserve a win at home,” said Tyrese Maxey, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds. “We lost a tough one and then we got blown out of the water [in a 128-96 debacle in Game 4]. So, we deserve to go out there and fight after the performance we put on last time in front of our fans. That was a disgrace. It was unacceptable.”
