Top 5 NBA players-turned-executives in the history of the league

#3 Mitch Kupchak

Mitch Kupchak while introducing former LA Lakers head coach Byron Scott

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets

Experience: 20 seasons (2000-2017, 2018-current)

Playoff Appearances: 13

Titles: Seven

Record as GM: 747-607 (.552)

Mitch Kupchak's career as a player was largely forgotten due to a lack of personal accomplishments. Having said that, Kupchak did enjoy team success as he was a three-time champion with the Washington Bullets and LA Lakers while also winning Olympic Gold in 1976 with Team USA.

Kupchak made up for his lack of personal accomplishments as a player by building a storied career as an executive. He won five titles as a GM and another two as an assistant GM under Jerry West.

Kupchak has had a largely hit-and-miss record as an executive, pulling off astonishing trades for the likes of Pau Gasol, which helped him win two titles in 2009 and 2010. He's also made disastrous trades like the one for Steve Nash, where he traded four picks for an injury-prone declining star.

Kupchak's downfall with the LA Lakers came after two albatross contracts for journeymen Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. The reverberations of the latter's contract are still felt today as the Lakers struggle with dead cap.

Despite his misgivings over free agency, Kupchak has an excellent track record with draft picks, drafting All-Stars such as Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell.

He was later hired by the Charlotte Hornets as their new GM. He made a flurry of moves to make them competitive again while also drafting their next franchise cornerstone in LaMelo Ball.

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#2 Danny Ainge

The Boston Celtics' second-longest tenured executive Danny Ainge

Teams: Boston Celtics

Experience: 18 seasons (2003-2021)

Playoff Appearances: 16

Titles: One

Record as GM: 722-573 (.558)

Danny Ainge was known as a hard-nosed, feisty player who refused to back down irrespective of who the opponent was. He had a reputation for infuriating his opponents, as shown by his legendary scraps with Tree Rollins and Michael Jordan. He was also an integral part of the Boston Celtics, winning two championships with them in 1984 and 1986.

Ainge was appointed as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics in 2003. He turned out to be their second-longest tenured executive after the legendary Red Auerbach.

Ainge took his aggressive mindset as a player into the front office, soon gaining a reputation as "Trader Danny" for his role in trading popular players. His brilliance showed as the Celtics were on the winning end of trade deals more often than not.

The highlight of his executive tenure came in 2007 when he pulled off two of the biggest trades in NBA history. He completed his Big 3 by landing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to complement Paul Pierce. The Celtics would then go on to become perennial contenders in the Eastern Conference and win a title in 2008.

Ainge pulled off yet another blockbuster trade in 2013 as he traded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for five players and multiple picks.

Despite winning only one championship in 2008, Trader Danny will go down as one of the greatest executives in the game for turning Boston into a perennial contender.

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#1 Jerry West

The Logo Jerry West - Greatest Executive of all time

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies

Experience: 23 seasons, Lakers (1982-2000), Grizzlies (2002-2007)

Playoff Appearances: 20

Titles: Five

Record as GM: Lakers (972-472, .673), Grizzlies (194-216, .473)

Very few players have enjoyed the success that Jerry West has as a player and as an executive. The Logo could be considered a basketball god in the eyes of many, as no one can replicate his storied resume.

The Logo is a Hall-of-Fame guard who won a championship with the LA Lakers in 1972 while also being a 14-time All-Star and an NBA Finals MVP. He was known to be a great facilitator and a brilliant outside shooter. His leadership skills put him in a different echelon and facilitated his smooth transition into the business side of the game.

Jerry West was appointed as the general manager of the LA Lakers prior to the 1982-83 season. He then went on to build the great 1980s dynasty centered around legendary PG Magic Johnson, who he drafted in 1979, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

West was credited with adding the right pieces around Magic by drafting James Worthy, Byron Scott and A.C. Green and trading for Mychal Thompson. These decisions led to the foundation of the 'Showtime Lakers,' who went on to win five titles between 1979 and 1986.

After a lull during the Jordan era, West came roaring back in the 2000s, building yet another Lakers dynasty as he convinced Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant player in NBA history, to sign a contract as a free agent. He later pulled off another masterstroke with a trade for the draft rights Kobe Bryant. The Shaq-Kobe duo led the Lakers to four Finals appearances and three titles.

Jerry West moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 and helped resurrect the franchise. He made a couple of shrewd moves like hiring coach Hubie Brown, who later went on to win NBA Coach of the Year as the Grizzlies made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2004. West won NBA Executive of the Year for his work with the franchise.

West became an executive board member of the Golden State Warriors in 2011 and served as a consultant. He was instrumental in stopping Klay Thompson's trade for Kevin Love. He also played a key role in successfully recruiting Kevin Durant in 2016 and establishing the Warriors dynasty, which went on to win three titles in five consecutive Finals appearances.

After six years with the Warriors, Jerry West was off to L.A. again, this time to consult for the other team at Staples Center. LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made it a priority to get West onboard and reaped the rewards instantly as he played a key role in recruiting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers now have a team capable of contending for the foreseeable future.

Jerry West will forever go down in history as the only Hall-of-Fame player to transition into a Hall-of-Fame executive, despite a couple of others winning more as a player and as an executive.