San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has been named the NBA's Executive of the Year for the first time in his well-respected, under-the-radar career.

The NBA announced the honor Wednesday, one day after the Spurs dominated Portland in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Buford is highly regarded by his peers, but his low-key approach has likely contributed to being overlooked during awards season.

In his 12th season as GM, Buford re-signed Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter and signed Marco Belinelli as a free agent to help the Spurs win a league-best 62 games in the regular season.

Phoenix's Ryan McDonough finished second and Portland's Neil Olshey third in the voting.

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