6 NBA players who became successful in executive roles, ranked

Being a a successful NBA player it doesn’t necessarily translate in the boardroom. However, there were a select few who proved they could thrive as both a player and an executive. So, check out the gallery to see six NBA players who found success in executive roles.

Larry Bird was the centerpiece Boston Celtics dynasty that dominated the 1980s and won three NBA titles, but after a successful coaching stint with the Indiana Pacers that saw him win Coach of the Year in 1998 and an All-Star Game head coach during the same season, Bird would get his feet wet in an executive role with the franchise.

Unlike anyone else, Bird has succeeded as a player, coach and executive. As the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, the team compiled a solid 545-505 record. Furthermore, Indiana also marched to the Eastern Conference Finals five times under his watch. To cap off his executive career, Bird was named CEO of the Year in 2012.

Although the Pacers have yet to win a championship, Bird has done his best to keep the franchise consistently competitive. As far as roster moves go, the biggest one was using a first-round pick to select Paul George in the 2010 NBA Draft.

5. Joe Dumars

As part of the Bad Boy Pistons, Joe Dumars helped Detroit win back-to-back NBA championships. After hanging up his sneakers, Dumars was named the Pistons’ president of basketball operations. While that was quite a jump, the 1989 NBA Finals MVP certainly carried over his winning ways on the court to the executive board.

Dumars was crowned Manager of the Year in 2003. A year later, Detroit shockingly lifted the 2004 NBA Championship at the expense of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles Lakers. Under Dumars, the Pistons made moves for Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton. These were the players who made up the championship core of the team.

today, Dumars now returns in an executive role as president of basketball operations for the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. While it’s a tall order to return the Pelicans to a playoff contender, his leadership should bring some excitement back to the franchise, especially with thin Zion Williamson.

It can be said that Mitch Kupchak won everywhere he was a player. He won his first championship with the Washington Bullets before winning two more rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s. In order to prepare for life after his playing career, Kupchak decided to take over the life of a basketball executive.

Of course, Kupchak worked under former Laker colleagues, Jerry West. But when Kupchak took over as GM, the Purple and Gold won a total of seven NBA championships. The three-time NBA champion-turned-executive oversaw some of the franchise’s best eras, including the Magic Johnson era that won two titles under his watch, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant with three triples, and finally Bryant’s vindication era where they won back-to-back titles to close out the decade.

Fast forward to Kupchak trying to replicate that same level of success with the Charlotte Hornets. Since I was hired as president of basketball operations in 2018, this has not been the case until now. As a result, the decorated executive moved into an advisory role.

3. Jerry West

Jerry West may have already had a successful playing career in which he won one NBA Championship and one Finals MVP. However, the Lakers great has had more success as an NBA executive. West first began a relatively successful coaching career before rising to the position of general manager of the team.

As GM of the Lakers, West built six championship teams for the Purple and Gold. He was largely responsible for bringing blue chip talent to Los Angeles, including Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, etc. After an uneventful tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies, West rediscovered his winning touch as an executive with the Golden State Warriors, where he collected two more NBA championships.

West eventually ended his executive career with the Los Angeles Clippers as a member of the executive committee. He took over the job until 2024, before he passed away. While with the team, the Clippers made bold roster moves, including the acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Furthermore, the franchise also made its first appearance in the Western Conference Finals in history.

It’s safe to say that the Boston Celtics should be eternally grateful to Danny Ainge. Ainge was part of the Boston Celtics dynasty in the 80s, helping the franchise win a pair of NBA titles. After resigning as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, the former Celtics player took an executive role to reunite with the Celtics.

With Boston, it wasn’t an easy road as CEO. After struggling initially, Ainge swung for the fences by orchestrating blockbuster moves that would attract superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form a big three with Paul Pierce. The trio would lead the Celtics to the NBA title, the franchise’s 17th banner. If that wasn’t enough, Ainge even laid the groundwork for the Celtics’ success today by trading his first-round pieces in Pierce and Garnett for the draft picks that would become Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both Tatum and Brown would turn on the franchise a league-leading 18th banner after Ainge’s departure.

Now done with the Celtics, Ainge has taken on the challenge of turning the Utah Jazz into a championship contender following his signing in 2021. With the Jazz entering a rebuilding process, it’s only a matter of time before Ainge makes his presence felt.

Only a select few have succeeded as players, coaches and CEOs. One of them is Miami Heat team president Pat Riley. Riley won his first NBA title as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers before winning multiple championships with the same franchise as a head coach. He would win his fifth title as a head coach with the Heat.

Riley infamously made some main requirements before agreeing to join the Heat. However, the efforts paid off in the end. He would assemble one of the best super teams in NBA history by bringing together the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win back-to-back titles. He was also crowned CEO of the year 2011.

What’s more, the three-time Coach of the Year even built around Jimmy Butler to form one of the best underdog teams in recent memory. With Butler as the face of the franchise, Miami surprisingly made two NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023.