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{{short description|American basketball executive|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| image =
| name = R. C. Buford
| team = San Antonio Spurs
| position = Chief executive officer
| league = [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|5|16}}
| birth_place = [[Wichita, Kansas]], U.S.
| college = [[Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball|Texas A&M]] (1979–1980)
| coach_start = 1983
| coach_end = 1994
| cyears1 = 1983–1988
| cteam1 = [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Kansas]] (assistant)
| cyears2 = {{nbay|1988|start}}–{{nbay|1991|end}}
| cteam2 = [[San Antonio Spurs]] (assistant)
| cyears3 = {{nbay|1992|full=y}}
| cteam3 = [[Los Angeles Clippers]] (assistant)
| cyears4 = 1993–1994
| cteam4 = [[Florida Gators men's basketball|Florida]] (assistant)
| highlights = ;As assistant coach
* NCAA champion (1988)
;As executive
* 5× [[NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1999}}, {{nbafy|2003}}, {{nbafy|2005}}, {{nbafy|2007}}, {{nbafy|2014}})
* 2× [[NBA Executive of the Year Award|NBA Executive of the Year]] ({{nbay|2013|end}}, {{nbay|2015|end}})
}}

'''Robert Canterbury Buford''' (born May 16, 1960) is an American basketball executive who is the CEO of the [[San Antonio Spurs]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He was named general manager in 2002 after five seasons serving as team president. Buford is also the president of sports franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Buford has won the [[NBA Executive of the Year Award|NBA Executive of the Year]] award twice, for the 2013–14 and 2015–16 seasons, before his promotion to CEO prior to the start of the 2019–20 season.

==Early life==
Buford's father, Bob, was a successful oilman and rancher in [[Wichita, Kansas]].<ref name=tramel>{{cite web |last1=Tramel |first1=Berry |title=Buford has an eye for basketball talent |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2005/06/16/buford-has-an-eye-for-basketball-talent/61938292007/ |website=The Oklahoman |access-date=February 6, 2024 |date=June 16, 2005}}</ref>

Buford spent two seasons as a walk-on for the [[Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball|Texas A&M Aggies]].<ref name=tramel /> He transferred to the [[Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball|Oklahoma State Cowboys]] in 1980.<ref name=tramel /> Buford sat out the 1980–81 season and then suffered eight broken ribs in a car crash, ending his playing career.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Buford graduated from [[Friends University]] with a [[Bachelor of Science]] in management.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Martin |title=R.C. Buford |url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exec-ed/difference/voices/rc-buford |website=Stanford Graduate School of Business |access-date=February 6, 2024 |date=January 25, 2023}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
Buford started his coaching career in 1983 as an assistant with the [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Kansas Jayhawks]].<ref name=hunt>{{cite web |last=Hunt |first=Ben |title=Live Chat With RC Buford |url=https://www.nba.com/spurs/live-chat-rc-buford |website=NBA |access-date=February 6, 2024 |date=November 9, 2011}}</ref> He spent five seasons with the team and was a member of the coaching staff when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA championship.<ref name=hunt />

Buford first joined the Spurs in the summer of 1988 as an assistant coach on [[Larry Brown (basketball)|Larry Brown]]'s staff. He spent four seasons as an assistant with the Spurs, including the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons when the team captured back-to-back Midwest Division titles. In the summer of 1992, he became the number-one assistant for Brown with the [[Los Angeles Clippers]]. He spent one season with the Clippers before moving to the [[University of Florida]] for the 1993–94 season.

==NBA executive career==
Spurs general manager [[Gregg Popovich]] then hired Buford as the Spurs' head scout in the summer of 1994 and he has been with the team since that time. In the summer of 1997 he was named the Spurs' director of scouting, and then two years later in 1999 was promoted to the position of assistant general manager. He was named general manager in 2002.

Buford has won five NBA championships with the Spurs ([[1998–99 NBA season|1999]], [[2002–03 NBA season|2003]], [[2004–05 NBA season|2005]], [[2006–07 NBA season|2007]], [[2013–14 NBA season|2014]]), four as general manager ([[2002–03 NBA season|2003]], [[2004–05 NBA season|2005]], [[2006–07 NBA season|2007]], [[2013–14 NBA season|2014]]).

Buford won the 2013–14 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year award on May 7, 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/spurs/news/140507_buford_earns_nba_executive_of_the_year|title=San Antonio's R.C. Buford Earns 2013-14 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award|website=San Antonio Spurs|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref> and later won the same honor for the 2015–16 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/2016/news/05/09/san-antonio-spurs-r-c-buford-wins-executive-of-the-year/|title=Spurs' Buford wins 2015-16 NBA Executive of the Year|first=Official|last=release|website=NBA.com|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>

On July 23, 2019, the Spurs announced Buford will be promoted from general manager to CEO for the Spurs, effective September 3. His previous role will be filled by assistant general manager Brian Wright.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spurs Sports & Entertainment Announces Leadership Changes|url=https://www.nba.com/spurs/spurs-sports-entertainment-announces-leadership-changes|website=NBA.com|access-date=July 23, 2019|date=July 23, 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life==
His son Chase played basketball for the [[Kansas Jayhawks]] and was the head coach of the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|NBL]] team, the [[Sydney Kings]]. He is currently an assistant coach at Kansas. <ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-buford-65050735 {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref> His daughter C.C., who played golf for the [[College of Charleston]], now coaches at [[East Carolina University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gocamels.com/news/2017/6/29/6_29_2017_9219.aspx?path=wgolf|title=C.C. Buford hired as assistant golf coach|website=Campbell University|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>

Buford met [[Bill Self]] when he served as Self's host during a recruiting visit at [[Oklahoma State University]] in 1981.<ref name=tramel /> Buford has called Self his best friend.<ref name=tramel />

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.hoopshype.com/general_managers/rc_buford.htm General Managers]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2004/04/26/daily18.html Spurs promote R.C. Buford to senior vice president]
* [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/rc-buford-1.html R. C. Buford] – college basketball player statistics at [[Sports Reference]]

{{San Antonio Spurs general manager navbox}}
{{NBAgeneralmanagers}}
{{NBA Executive of the Year Award}}
{{1988 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buford, R. C.}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Friends University alumni]]
[[Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches]]
[[Category:NBA general managers]]
[[Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs executives]]
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

R. C. Buford - Revision history

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