Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover is in a class by himself, winning the WNBA Executive of the Year for a record third time Tuesday.
Padover broke a tie with Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve, who has won the award twice. Padover, 37, also won in 2020 and 2021 when he was with the Las Vegas Aces.
He has been a builder wherever he has gone in the WNBA, starting in New York while learning under Kristin Bernert and Bill Laimbeer. Then Padover headed to Las Vegas before landing in Atlanta for the past four years.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be around a lot of great players, staffs and coaches,” Padover said in a phone interview. “Essentially what this award means is you were the best basketball organization of the year. It’s not one person, it’s a group of people. It’s a game, you got to have fun. I think I’m a light person and I got to create an environment where people can be themselves and be authentic. Show up to work every day and have fun.”
Padover brought in a new coach in Karl Smesko this season and added All-Stars Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner to complement Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. The Dream doubled their win total from last season, earning the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. They lost in a decisive Game 3 to Indiana in the opening round of the postseason.
“You try not to skip any steps along the way, that’s what I feel franchise building is all about,” Padover said. “The job’s not done yet, but we feel really good about the direction we’re headed and appreciate the acknowledgment from the league.”
The award is voted on by the 13 GMs around the league plus the general manager of the Toronto Tempo, who begin play next season. Padover appeared on 12 of the ballots, receiving eight first-place votes.
Golden State’s Ohemaa Nyanin finished second. The Valkyries had the best season for an expansion franchise in WNBA history and reached the playoffs. Phoenix’s Nick U’ren was third and Washington’s Jamila Wideman fourth.
Padover credited owner Larry Gottesdiener for bringing him in a few years back and the dedication the ownership group has shown toward making Atlanta a destination for players.
“It goes back to the goal always being to make this a place where players show up every day and need to just focus on basketball,” Padover said. “We got a group of people around them that they trust and they know the organization has their back. All the resources they need are within their fingertips.”
Atlanta has completely changed in the four years that Padover has been with the franchise.
“Completely flipped the roster with 12 brand-new players from when I got here until now. We had no lottery luck, as we never got above a top-three pick,” he said. “When I first got here we were in such terrible shape before Larry bought it. We never got a player in free agency, so the first moves had to be via trade. We made moves to trade for Rhyne, Naz [Hillmon], Lish and Jordin Canada.”
Padover has worked closely with assistant general manager Brooklyn Cartwright, who has been a big reason for the success.
“She’s from Atlanta and really is the boots on the ground with the day-to-day operation,” Padover said. “She’s a huge piece and has been here since I got here. She’s been there every step of the way.”
