Some pretty big honours were heaped upon the head of 91原创鈥檚 pro basketball team Thursday.

Dylan Kular was lauded by not just one, but two different organizations this week, in his role as president of the 91原创-based Vancouver Bandits.

First, he was recognized by the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as the executive of the year. This is the second time the Abbotsford resident earned this accolade.

Then, later that same day, he was a finalist lauded at the Greater 91原创 Chamber of Commerce business excellence gala. He was one of four contenders in the George Preston Memorial Businessperson of the Year awards 鈥� losing out Thursday night to Gemma Martini of Martini Film Studios.

That didn鈥檛 seem to diminish the calls, emails, and texts of congratulations that have been coming in for Kular.

BREAKING: Ever upward and community first.

The announced that it has recognized Bandits president as its Executive of the Year for the 2nd consecutive year. Congrats, Dylan! 2023's looking big. 馃��

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鈥� Vancouver Bandits (@vancitybandits)

The CEBL award recognizes a senior front office executive who has excelled in their role by enhancing their club鈥檚 connection with the community and local basketball ecosystem through business development, grassroots partnerships, noteworthy ticket sales and an exceptional game day experience.

This is Kular鈥檚 second consecutive time receiving the prestigious recognition, which he previously won last fall after being promoted to president of the Bandits in September 2021, explained CEBL commissioner and co-founder Mike Morreale.

鈥淪ince we first hired Dylan nearly five years ago we knew that his tireless work ethic, commitment to the league, Bandits and Metro Vancouver communities would result in tremendous success on and off the court,鈥� Morreale elaborated.

鈥淔or a second time his peers have recognized those efforts with this prestigious honour 鈥� making him a shining example of what it takes to be a leader. I look forward to continued success for Dylan and the Bandits well into the future.鈥�

In his first year as Bandits president, Kular relocated the team to 91原创 Events Centre (LEC) and continued his dedication to the community by elevating the Bandits鈥� collaborations with partners across the province and ingraining the club with local stakeholders.

Kular and fellow Bandits staff members have created one of the fastest growing sports and entertainment brands in B.C.

The club鈥檚 evolution captured the interest of Kevin Dhaliwal and Bryan Slusarchuk 鈥� two season ticket members who have been woven into the club鈥檚 family as sponsors since its early beginnings. Dhaliwal and Slusarchuk elevated their investment in the Bandits and became co-owners to grow the team鈥檚 presence in the community and to help it reach new heights.

The Bandits became the first of the CEBL鈥檚 inaugural six member clubs to be sold to local ownership and rebranded from Fraser Valley to Vancouver as part of Dhaliwal and Slusarchuk鈥檚 territorial acquisition of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley as CEBL markets.

鈥淭his award is a reflection of the hard work that our front office, game day staff, and volunteers have contributed to help the Bandits ascend to new heights,鈥� Kular said, sharing around the credit and accolades.

1/3 It is a honour to recieve this award for a second consecutive time.

This award is a reflection of the hard work that our front office, players, basketball staff, game day staff and volunteers have contributed to help the Bandits ascend to new heights. We are grateful for the

鈥� Dylan Kular (@DylanKular)

鈥淲e are grateful for the opportunity to work with like-minded partners and leaders in the community who believe in the power of basketball and the inclusive platform that we are building through sport,鈥� he added.

鈥淭hank you to my peers at CEBL head office for this tremendous honour and recognition, as well as our fans for supporting us. I am excited to work with our ownership group and fellow staff to make 2023 our most memorable season to date.鈥�

Prominent events led by Kular from the Bandits鈥� 2022 season include setting back-to-back league-wide attendance records on June 7 and 18, respectively, when the team welcomed 13 schools from across Metro Vancouver for its inaugural 鈥淪chool Day Game鈥� versus the Honey Badgers on June 7.

Less than two weeks later on June 18 the Bandits hosted the first-ever BC Basketball Festival; which featured 200 adult and youth teams from across the province competing within a divisional format before enjoying a Bandits game against the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

In addition to leading the CEBL in sponsorship revenue generated for its 2022 season, Kular and the Bandits focused on celebrating and giving back to the province鈥檚 basketball landscape.

The Bandits鈥� community department attended more than 90 events between January and October and has made more than 40 school visits to elementary, middle, and secondary schools throughout the Lower Mainland this year.

Further bolstering the club鈥檚 local ties was the launch of the Indigenous Basketball Collective in partnership with the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I鈭橲PARC). The partnership set the stage for the reveal of a reimagined Bandits team logo designed by Kwantlen First Nation artist Jeff Dickson, as well as a commitment to host basketball camps and programs for Indigenous youth.

Bandits guard Malcolm Duvivier and assistant coach Levon Kendall traveled to Ahousaht First Nation on Vancouver Island to host a camp in May, and 50 boys and girls from more than 20 different Indigenous communities participated in a basketball fundamentals camp co-hosted by the Bandits鈥� coaching staff, I鈭橲PARC and Pacific Sport Fraser Valley on June 18.

Despite falling short of a 2022 championship eeekend berth, Kular said the Bandits front office are poised to continue building for the present and the future.

The CEBL awarded its 2023 championship weekend to Vancouver in recognition of Kular鈥檚 bid and application to host the highly anticipated and multi-day playoff event, which was held in Ottawa last August.

More about the Bandits is available online at .

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