Got a chance to meet Sam Presti up close and personal on Thursday.
Even after a short time around the general manager of OKC’s new NBA team, at least one thing is certain — the guy is a hard worker.
You can see it.
Literally.
Presti might be the palest person I’ve ever seen. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he’s spent the last few years in Seattle, a place where the sunshine is in short supply, but I have a feeling it has more to do with Presti. This is a guy who has worked his way to one of the NBA’s top spots at the ripe ol’ age of 31.
It’s difficult to work on your suntan when you’re inside a gym or at a desk all day.
Maybe Presti is just a big believer in sunscreen; he could be a poster child for those use-your-SPF campaigns. But really, this seems like a guy who doesn’t spend a lot of time golfing or chilling at the lake or grilling out in the yard. This is a guy who spends his time on basketball, whether that means scouting prospects or working the phones or plotting the next move.
After many of the cameras and the reporters left Thursday, Presti talked about how basketball became an all-consuming passion when he was in high school. Every day since, he suspects, he’s thought about basketball. He’s schemed. He’s planned. He’s obsessed.
No doubt that has only increased since Clay Bennett and Co. chose Presti as its general manager a year ago.
Perhaps Presti will get a little more sun with the team moving to Oklahoma City – our fair city does have a few more sunny days than our good friends in the Pacific Northwest — but then again, there is more work to do than ever.
Don’t expect Presti to be doing ads for Hawaiian Tropic any time soon.