Get to Know Sam Presti, the NBA's Next Big Thing
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By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
May 8, 2007, 16:07
If you consider yourself a big time NBA fan and are not yet familiar with the name Sam Presti . . . well, you should be. People in the know around the league have been raving about the 30-year-old Spurs' executive, and it's only a matter of time until he gets a chance to run his own team.
Presti's journey to being the number two in command in San Antonio's front office has been a whirlwind of sorts which featured four promotions in just five years.
He joined the Spurs' staff as a 22-year-old intern in 2000. Just one year later he was named San Antonio's "Special Basketball Assistant," and just a year after that he was promoted to Assistant Director of Scouting. His ascent didn't stop there. In 2003 at the age of just 25, Presti was given the le of Director of Player Personnel, and in 2005 he took over his current position as Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the club.
If you find yourself wondering how such a young guy could climb the ladder of arguably the NBA's most consistent organization so quickly, you're not alone.
"A lot of it has to do with where I work," Presti said in a modest tone. "I work with really good people. I work with great leadership under our owner Peter Holt, and obviously learning under (Greg Popovich) and (general manager) R.C. (Buford) is a great experience for someone like myself. Having been around a program like San Antonio I consider myself really, really fortunate, and I'm sure that has just about everything to do with it.
"Just being around the environment and the types of guys we've had as players, and being able to build relationships with guys like Avery Johnson, Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter, and the list just continues on. And again, for someone coming into the league when I did, being exposed to those types of guys is an unbelievable experience."
The first thing you'll notice when spending time around Presti is his genuine sense of humility. He's hesitant to take credit for things and instead gives credit to those who have helped him along the way. Perhaps that's how such a young man can gain the respect of his predominantly older colleagues in the NBA front office fraternity. That said, the fact that Presti is such a smart man hasn't hurt his cause, either.
Presti graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications, politics, and law in 2000 and was the first Rhodes scholar nominee in the history of the school. He was also a four-year letter winner on the school's basketball team.
While Presti most certainly had a lot going for him when he landed an internship position with the Spurs in 2000, even an impeccable pedigree couldn't stop the skepticism he faced in his early days.
"A lot of guys kind of wondered what this young fella was doing," explained Denver Nuggets' Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien. "When I first met him, though, I knew right away he'd be good. He's so smart, and he has a good eye for talent. I've been a Sam Presti guy from day one, but a lot of people we're resistant to accept him."
When asked how he attempted to counteract the conventional skepticism he faced in his early days in the league, Presti responded: "I think over time just being yourself and not deviating from whatever it is that has been your everyday process whether it be in school, work, or relationships. I think just being consistent in every thing you do, and over time I think people give other people a chance.
"Coming into the league it was really important for me to get in as many conversations and listen as much as I could to the people with all the experience. I was very fortunate because I have had so many people willing to give me advice, talk philosophy, and just share time with me. Those are the types of things for a young person coming into the league that are really valuable. Building those relationships takes time, takes trust, and I feel like for myself that because I was fortunate enough to have other people extend their hand to me I really feel it's important to do that for other people now."
After seven years in San Antonio, Presti is in high demand. He is expected to get at least a couple of looks from NBA teams searching for a GM this summer giving him the chance to fulfill his dream of running his very own NBA club. However, when asked about what his future might hold, Presti played it coy.
"I think every situation is probably different. My focus right now is on our team and really needs to be. My focus has always been on San Antonio. That's what I wake up in the morning thinking about, and that's what I go to sleep thinking about -- just trying to figure out how I can best contribute to what it is that Pop and R.C. have built. That's a really invigorating job for me, and it takes all my energy."
While Presti understandably wouldn't comment on any specific future jobs, he did lend some insight into the philosophy he would use to help guide a rebuilding process.
"Every team has a little bit of a timeline," Presti explained. "You have to always be trying to think ahead, and that's the job of the front office. The coaching staff has to go out and try and win every possession of every game, and (the front office) need to be thinking long term and also managing situations from a day-to-day perspective. Every year you sit down after the fact and evaluate your situation. I don't think anybody likes to make any decisions too quickly after a season's finished, and then you make some decisions and you try to execute them.
"I think everything we do is driven philosophically," Presti said of what he's learned in San Anontio. "Just the discipline to stay with a plan and the ability to look forward and not deviate from that plan for small successes."
That last line provides some very compelling insight into exactly how Presti would approach rebuilding a franchise. His experiences in San Antonio have taught him that you must be able to methodically build a core of players who can be successful together and then find the right complimentary pieces. Needless to say, the Isiah Thomas trade to win now (or try and win now as it turned out) philosophy won't be the strategy employed. Instead, building a foundation for long-term success as the Spurs have will be the focus.
Published reports have linked Presti to the GM vacancy in Seattle. While the move would make sense, one current NBA front office source speaking on the condition of anonymity said that Presti won't consider a position where he has to answer to someone else like he would Lenny Wilkens in Seattle. The source went on to say that if Presti is going to leave San Antonio, a situation he likes very much, it's going to be because he is given the opportunity to integrate his philosophy in its entirety. Since he loves San Antonio and is still such a young guy, the source made it clear that Presti isn't in a hurry to jump ship.
Whatever happens this summer, one thing is for sure: Presti will get the chance to run his own team someday. Whether or not that happens this summer remains to be seen. For now, though, Presti has plenty of goals for the future serving in his current capacity in San Antonio.
"Continue to get better at what it is that I do, continue to learn how I can be an asset to the Spurs, and continue to be a contributor to what it is that is going on in the offices everyday and on the floor. I really believe in the vision that Pop, R.C., and Mr. Holt have set for the organization, and I just want to try to do what it is that I can do in my own way to help us sustain what it is we've been fortunate enough to achieve so far. For me personally, it's very much about self development and learning. If I can do that and make myself better I think it will obviously be better for the organization."
At the age of just 30 Presti has plenty of time to make himself better, and don't be surprised if he's a fixture in the NBA for the next three decades.
Travis Heath is a doctoral candidate in psychology and covers the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and gives his take on all things NBA for Basketball News Services. Travis is a contributing writer for SWISH Magazine and also serves as a frequent guest analyst on radio shows across the country on networks such as ESPN Radio and NBA Radio on Sirius. Catch him on Fox Sports Radio's "The Real Deal" on Thursdays in Fresno, CA! Travis currently resides outside of Denver, Colorado and has spent time in Washington, Nebraska, and both Northern and Southern California.
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I love this line. 2008"I think everything we do is driven philosophically," Presti said of what he's learned in San Anontio. "Just the discipline to stay with a plan and the ability to look forward and not deviate from that plan for small successes."
How do I apply for an internship with the Spurs?
Every member of the spurs organization uses us for fame then hightails it outta here for more money.
..Presti is ridding the Tim Duncan gravy-train...just like POP.
He's actually riding the Tony Parker gravy train, considering he is the one who scouted Tony and made RC/Pop look at him.
Yeah, Tony was a genius pick, but the Spurs have left a lot of talent on the boards in recent years. Leaving Howard to Dallas for instance...
They also traded Barbosa to PHX.... I won't hold that against them, as the Spurs mgmt make some pretty sound decisions.
think he grew up rich or poor?He joined the Spurs' staff as a 22-year-old intern in 2000. Just one year later he was named San Antonio's "Special Basketball Assistant," and just a year after that he was promoted to Assistant Director of Scouting. His ascent didn't stop there. In 2003 at the age of just 25, Presti was given the le of Director of Player Personnel, and in 2005 he took over his current position as Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the club
It doesn't matter. He'll end up rich, if he's not rich already.
poorer than he is now
thats pretty cool though, Director of Player Personnel by 25.
I just dont get why timvp doesn't do this. He knows the spurs better than anyone in online history and can think in Pop-Mode.
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