Cheryl Reeve collected her third WNBA Executive of the Year award, winning by the narrowest margin recorded in the 16-year history of the honor. The Minnesota Lynx president of basketball operations and head coach received 46 first-place votes to Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover's 45, according to league tabulations released Wednesday.
Reeve previously won in 2011 and 2016, both years Minnesota reached the Finals. This cycle she steered the Lynx to a 30-10 regular season record and a conference finals appearance while absorbing the midseason loss of forward Napheesa Collier to a foot injury for 11 games. Reeve also extended Collier to a supermax deal worth $241,984 annually under the current CBA—a figure set to triple when the league's $2.2 billion media rights package activates in 2026. Padover, in his second year with Atlanta, rebuilt the Dream around 2024 No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard and free-agent additions that pushed the franchise from 15-25 to 27-13.
The vote split signals two things family offices sizing WNBA stakes should note. First, the dual president-coach model Reeve pioneered—she has held both titles since 2010—remains efficient in a 12-team league where front-office payroll averages $1.8 million per club. Second, voters rewarded Padover's Atlanta turnaround despite losing the ballot, which suggests the Dream's minority stake offering last fall at a $75 million valuation may have underpriced the franchise's trajectory. Atlanta's season-ticket base grew 38% year-over-year, and the team's local media rights holder, Bally Sports South, is negotiating an extension that would nearly double the annual payout from $1.2 million to north of $2 million starting in 2027.
Reeve's third win also clarifies Minnesota's succession planning. She has coached the Lynx for 14 seasons and signed a contract extension through 2028 last October. Her assistant, Katie Smith, left for the Ohio State head coaching job in April, removing the obvious internal candidate. The Lynx front office now lists Reeve and assistant GM Clare Duwelius, who came from the Las Vegas front office in 2023. Duwelius, 34, has shadowed Reeve on draft-night trade calls and coordinated Minnesota's $4.2 million practice facility renovation, but ownership has not publicly outlined a timeline for transition.
Padover's near-miss positions him for the next wave of WNBA executive hires. Phoenix and Dallas both have interim GMs following front-office departures in March, and expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto will staff front offices by September 2025 ahead of their 2026 tip-offs. Padover spent 11 years in the NBA's Atlanta Hawks front office before joining the Dream, and his ability to monetize a turnaround—Atlanta's sponsorship revenue climbed 22% this season—makes him a credible candidate for ownership groups that need someone fluent in both basketball operations and revenue.
Reeve's voting margin was the tightest since the award's inception in 2010, when San Antonio's Dan Hughes won by 3 votes. The balloting is conducted by a panel of 91 league executives, team presidents, and select media members. Minnesota plays its first-round playoff series against Seattle starting September 14. Atlanta opens against Las Vegas the same day.
The takeaway
Reeve's third Executive of the Year award highlights Minnesota's sustained model, while Padover's one-vote loss positions him for expansion or GM openings by fall 2025.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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