Thunder general manager Sam Presti went on the record and made an eloquent case for his head coach Billy Donovan to receive consideration as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2019-20 season.
It appears that Donovan’s peers were listening.
On Monday, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced that Donovan had been voted as a co-recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award along with Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although the award isn’t affiliated with the awarding of the NBA’s Red Auerbach Trophy for its own Coach of the Year Award, the receipt of the NBCA Award is quite the honor.
For clarification, the NBCA Coach of the Year Award is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, while the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award is voted on by a select panel of media members selected by the NBA.
Still, it’s worth noting that last year, Budenholzer was named the NBCA Coach of the Year before being named the NBA Coach of the Year shortly thereafter. If nothing else, the opinion of the league’s head coaches serves as a potential focus group to see how the general public perceives the performance of a head coach.
In that regard, Donovan likely received consideration from the voting members of the media.
Picked by their peers, the other head coaches in the NBA – it's recognition well deserved. https://t.co/QzcfVvRsp4
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 3, 2020
Donovan released a statement after being made aware of his winning the award.
“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the Coaches, they are a great group of people that I admire and respect,” said Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan. “Receiving the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award alongside such a terrific Coach like Bud makes it even more special. Individual honors to me have always been a reflection of good team dynamics, and I’m proud of the collective work that our players, coaching staff and the entire organization has put in this season. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead in Orlando as we get back to basketball and using our platform for social justice.”
The Thunder enter play on Aug. 3 coming off of a win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. They will square off against the Denver Nuggets.
The newly minted NBCA Coach of the Year will try to keep his team’s winning streak alive.