Golden State Warriors win PBWA’s 2018-19 Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award

The Golden State Warriors’ basketball communications team has won the 2018-19 Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award, which is presented each season to an NBA media relations staff that best exemplifies standards of professionalism and excellence, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced today.

The Warriors’ full-time basketball communications staff consists of Vice President of Communications Raymond Ridder, Director of Public Relations Brett Winkler, Director of Basketball Communications Michael Ravina, Director of Publications and Statistical Information Darryl Arata and Public Relations Assistant Cole Lawrence.

The Warriors have won the Brian McIntyre Award four consecutive seasons and six times overall. No other franchise has won the award more than twice.

Ridder, Winkler, Ravina, Arata, Lawrence and coach Steve Kerr foster an atmosphere of mutual respect with journalists. Their work and Golden State players’ professionalism facilitate accurate, in-depth coverage of the team.

The media relations staffs of the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors also were finalists for the award, as determined by the number of nominations they received from PBWA members.

A vote of PBWA members determined the winner.

The award is named for Brian McIntyre, the longtime former NBA public relations director.

The PBWA is composed of more than 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA on a regular basis for newspapers, online outlets and magazines.

Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award winners
2006-07 Phoenix Suns
2007-08 Toronto Raptors
2008-09 Portland Trail Blazers
2009-10 Golden State Warriors
2010-11 Indiana Pacers
2011-12 Milwaukee Bucks
2012-13 Indiana Pacers
2013-14 Golden State Warriors
2014-15 Toronto Raptors
2015-16 Golden State Warriors
2016-17 Golden State Warriors
2017-18 Golden State Warriors
2018-19 Golden State Warriors

(Top photo: The Golden State Warriors’ basketball communications team of (from L to R) Brett Winkler, Cole Lawrence, Raymond Ridder, Darryl Arata and Michael Ravina has won 2018-19 Brian McIntyre Award. On June 7, 2019, PBWA member Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (far right) and PBWA members honored Winkler, Lawrence, Ridder, Arata and Ravina before Game 4 of The Finals in Oakland, Calif. (Bill Baptist/NBA Photos)