Santa Cruz Warriors President Named D-League Executive of the Year
Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy was named the 2017 NBA D-League Executive of the Year on Wednesday.
NBA Development League President Malcolm Turner announced Wednesday morning that Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy had been voted the 2017 NBA D-League Executive of the Year.
Winning such an honor only further evidences just how spectacular Murphy has performed since taking on his role as Santa Cruz Warriors team president back in November of 2015.
"Under Murphy’s leadership, the Santa Cruz Warriors – the affiliate of the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors – sold out all 24 regular-season home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena this season. In addition, the team hosted the Oklahoma City Blue at Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Feb. 12 before 17,497 spectators – the third-largest crowd in NBA D-League history – helping spur the league to reach nearly 1.5 million fans this past season (1,469,908).“We see our D-League team not only as a chance for players and coaches to gain experience and skills, but also a place to develop executive talent,” said Golden State Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Chris has been a valuable part of the Warriors organization for 12 years, and when he accepted the role of President in Santa Cruz two seasons ago, he recognized the value of getting broader general management experience. It’s a great honor for him and a recognition of the Warriors’ operating philosophy and connection between our D-League and NBA teams.”"
Murphy is a longtime employee of the Warriors organization, having joined Golden State back in 2005. He spent 10 years with GSW, rising to the position of senior director of group sales for Golden State before being named Santa Cruz Warriors team president.
In addition to his duties as president for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Murphy also serves as a member of the NBA D-League Team Leadership Council.
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Per Warriors PR, Murphy is credited with helping “Santa Cruz increase its corporate sponsorships 15 percent over the previous season,” as well as demonstrating “the team’s commitment to the Santa Cruz area by having the organization participate in 185 community events.”
It also probably helps that the Santa Cruz Warriors earned their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons this past year, finishing the D-League regular season with a 31-19 record while earning numerous player/coach accolades.