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 Ainge during the Celtics' championship parade in 2008 | |
| Utah Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Title | CEO of basketball operations / alternate governor |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1959-03-17)March 17, 1959 (age 66) Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | North Eugene (Eugene, Oregon) |
| College | BYU (1977–1981) |
| NBA draft | 1981: 2nd round, 31st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Boston Celtics |
| Playing career | 1981–1995 |
| Position | Shooting guard /point guard |
| Number | 44, 7, 9, 22 |
| Coaching career | 1996–1999 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1981–1989 | Boston Celtics |
| 1989–1990 | Sacramento Kings |
| 1990–1992 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1992–1995 | Phoenix Suns |
Coaching | |
| 1996 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 1996–1999 | Phoenix Suns |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As executive: | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 11,964 (11.5 ppg) |
| Assists | 4,199 (4.0 apg) |
| Steals | 1,133 (1.1 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Danny Ainge | |
|---|---|
| Second baseman /Third baseman | |
| Born: (1959-03-17)March 17, 1959 (age 66) Eugene, Oregon | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 21, 1979, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1981, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .220 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 37 |
| Stats atBaseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Daniel Ray Ainge (/ˈeɪndʒ/AYNJ;[1] born March 17, 1959) is an American former professionalbasketball player, coach, and professionalbaseball player who serves as thechief executive officer for theUtah Jazz of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). During his 18-year career as general manager for theBoston Celtics, Ainge was known for making bold moves to help the team rebuild, and clearing cap space. He served as the Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021.
A three-sport star in high school, Ainge was named to All-America teams in football, basketball, and baseball. AtBrigham Young University, he was namednational basketball college player of the year and won theJohn R. Wooden Award for the most outstanding male college basketball player. While in college, Ainge also played parts of three seasons inMajor League Baseball with theToronto Blue Jays, mostly as asecond baseman. He was thendrafted into the NBA by the Celtics in 1981. Ainge played in the NBA for 14 seasons, playing for the Celtics,Portland Trail Blazers,Sacramento Kings, andPhoenix Suns, primarily as ashooting guard. He went on to coach the Suns for three seasons before joining management of the Celtics, with whom Ainge has threeNBA championships to his credit (two as a player, one as a team executive). During his playing career, Ainge appeared in the1988 All-Star Game. He was theNBA Executive of the Year in 2008.
Born and raised inEugene, Oregon, Ainge was a multi-sport star atNorth Eugene High School.[2][3] He led the Highlanders' basketball team to consecutiveAAA state titles in 1976 and 1977,[4][5] earning all-state honors both years, and was considered one of the topfootball recruits in Oregon atwide receiver.[6] As a junior, Ainge was named to the 1977Parade High School All-America team, and is the only person in history to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball.[7]
Ainge playedcollege basketball atBrigham Young University (BYU) inProvo, Utah. He hit one of the best-known shots in the1981 NCAA tournament, againstNotre Dame in Atlanta in the Sweet Sixteen, when his coast-to-coast drive and lay-up with two seconds remaining gave theCougars a one-point win.[8][9][10] Ainge concluded his senior year by winning the Eastman Award, as well as theJohn R. Wooden Award—given to the best collegiate player in the nation. During his four-year career at BYU, Ainge was an All-American, a two-time First Team Academic All-American, the WAC Player of the Year and a four-time All-WAC selection. He concluded his college career having scored in double figures in 112 consecutive games, an NCAA record at that time.[citation needed]
Ainge was selected in baseball's1977 amateur draft by theToronto Blue Jays. He made it to the major leagues with the Blue Jays in1979 while still in college. Mostly a second baseman, Ainge played third base and outfield positions as well, hitting .220 in his baseball career with twohome runs and 146 hits in 211 games. Ainge is the second-youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit a home run, at 20 years and 77 days, surpassed only byVladimir Guerrero Jr.
After three years with the Blue Jays, Ainge decided to pursue a career in basketball and was drafted by theBoston Celtics in the second round (31st overall) of the1981 NBA draft, who had to buy out Ainge's contract from the Blue Jays after a legal battle.
Ainge is one of 13 athletes who have played in theNational Basketball Association andMajor League Baseball, along withFrank Baumholtz,Hank Biasatti,Gene Conley,Chuck Connors,Dave DeBusschere,Dick Groat,Steve Hamilton,Mark Hendrickson,Cotton Nash,Ron Reed,Dick Ricketts, andHowie Schultz.[11]
Not everything went well for Ainge in NBA basketball at first. He had a terrible first day of practice, "shooting 0–2547",Larry Bird wrote in his autobiographyDrive: The Story of My Life. Celtics head coachBill Fitch gave Ainge a rough time, saying his batting average was better than his shooting percentage on the basketball court. But Ainge became an important player for the Celtics teams that won NBA titles in1984 and1986.
Ainge played sparingly during his rookie season (1981–82), but broke into the starting lineup in his second year, averaging 9.9 points per game. However, new coachK.C. Jones moved Ainge back to the bench in his third season (1983–84), startingGerald Henderson instead. Ainge remained an important role player off the bench, helping the Celtics defeat the rivalLos Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that year. The Celtics traded Henderson toSeattle in the off-season, returning Ainge to the starting guard position oppositeDennis Johnson. Ainge responded by averaging 12.9 points and 5.3 assists per game in 1984–85. He remained a starter for the Celtics for most of the next five seasons. The Celtics won the championship again in 1985–86; that team is widely considered to be one of the greatest in NBA history. In 1986–87, Ainge finished second in the NBA in free throw shooting (89.7%) and third in 3-point shooting (44.3%). The following year, he made 148 3-pointers, shattering the previous NBA single-season record of 92 held byDarrell Griffith of theUtah Jazz. Ainge made his only appearance in theNBA All-Star Game that year, scoring 12 points.
In 1989, Ainge was traded to theSacramento Kings, along withBrad Lohaus, for young centerJoe Kleine (whom the Celtics saw as a possible successor to the agingRobert Parish) andEd Pinckney. Now a featured player on a team with no superstars, Ainge averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game in that half-season with the Kings. He scored 45 points for the Kings in a loss to theGolden State Warriors, matching a career high that he had set just a few months prior against thePhiladelphia 76ers while still playing for the Celtics at that time.
In 1990, Ainge was traded to thePortland Trail Blazers forByron Irvin and draft picks. Being a native of Oregon, he was considered a hometown favorite by Blazers fans. On May 5, 1992, Ainge played an important role in the highest scoring NBA postseason game of all time, scoring 25 points and hitting multiple key shots during a 153–151 double overtime win over thePhoenix Suns.[12] The win gave the Blazers a three games to one game lead in theWestern Conference Semifinals. Ainge would go on to help the Blazers reach the1992 NBA Finals, but they would succumb to theChicago Bulls in six games. On June 5, he scored nine points in the extra period to tie an all-time NBA record for most points in anovertime during a finals game.
After the1991–92 season, Ainge became a free agent. He had stated in media interviews that he ideally wanted to stay in Portland and would contact Blazers management before seriously entertaining offers from other teams. However, on July 1, 1992, Ainge signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns on his first day of free agency. Ainge averaged 11.8 points per game as the Suns went 62–20 that year and reached theNBA finals, where they lost to the Bulls in six games.
On January 18, 1994, he became the second player in NBA history to hit 900 three-point shots (he made 1,002 three-pointers for his career), and he scored 11,964 points for an average of 11.5 points per game, 2,768 rebounds for an average of 2.7, and 4,199 assists, an average of four per game, over 1,042 NBA games.
Ainge retired after the1994–95 season. At the time of his retirement, he had the highest personal winning percentage in NBA history among players with at least 1,000 career games, edging outKareem Abdul-Jabbar 69.0% to 68.8%. Ainge was inducted into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Throughout his playing career, Ainge was known as a brash, hard-nosed player. In a1983 playoff game against theAtlanta Hawks, he called 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)Tree Rollins a "sissy", whereupon Rollins elbowed Ainge in the face. Ainge tackled Rollins and the two began wrestling. Rollins bit Ainge's middle finger so hard that it required two stitches to keep the tendon together. Ainge was ejected from the contest for starting the fight. The incident prompted the headline "Tree Bites Man" on the April 25, 1983,Boston Herald.[13] While playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 season, Ainge got into a tussle withMichael Jordan at midcourt; both were given a technical foul. In a 1994 postseason game, Ainge rifled an inbounding pass at the head ofHouston Rockets guardMario Elie, striking him in the face and snapping his neck back.[14][15][16] Ainge is still known to some as "The Moaning Mormon".
Ainge rejoined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant to head coachCotton Fitzsimmons in May 1996.[17] On November 14, 1996, Fitzsimmons retired after the Suns started the season with an 0–8 record and Ainge was appointed as his replacement.[17] During his first season coaching the Suns, Ainge got into an on-court altercation with playerRobert Horry, which led to Horry throwing a towel at Ainge afterward. This incident eventually forced the Suns to trade Horry to theLos Angeles Lakers for Ainge's old teammateCedric Ceballos. Despite early struggles, Ainge would lead the Suns into the1997 NBA playoffs after they started the season with a 0–13 record.
On December 14, 1999, Ainge resigned as head coach of the Suns; he cited a need to spend more time with his family. Ainge had accumulated a 136–90 record during his stint as head coach. Ainge was replaced by assistant coachScott Skiles.[18]
In 2003, Ainge was hired as the executive director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics. He has often been controversial in his role as a Celtics executive, trading popular players such as three-time All-StarAntoine Walker (earning himself the nickname "Trader Danny") and having personality conflicts with then-head coachJim O'Brien (which eventually led to O'Brien's departure to thePhiladelphia 76ers). However, Ainge kept the support of both the Celtics' ownership group and—perhaps most importantly—legendary former head coachRed Auerbach, who was employed by the team as a "senior assistant" until his death in October 2006.
The 2006–07 Celtics finished with a 24–58 record,second-worst in the team's history. Following the season,Paul Pierce, team captain and face of the franchise, expressed frustration with the team's failures. He requested a trade to a contender if management were unable to acquire veteran talent of Pierce's caliber.[19]
Ainge responded with two bold moves that changed the franchise's fortunes almost overnight: the 2007 trades for theMinnesota Timberwolves'Kevin Garnett and theSeattle SuperSonics'Ray Allen immediately returned the Celtics to the ranks of the NBA's elite franchises for the first time since the early 1990s. Together with Pierce, they formed a new "Big Three" and led the Celtics to the NBA's best record (66–16) during the2007–08 season. It was the most dramatic single-season improvement in league history (42 wins more than the previous year), and it earned Ainge theNBA Executive of the Year Award.
Boston faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the2008 NBA Finals, renewing the long rivalry between the two teams. The Celtics won in six games, giving the franchise its 17th NBA championship. Ainge held the trophy for the first time since winning in 1986. In October 2008, after the Celtics' championship season, he was promoted to President of Basketball Operations.[20]
On May 3, 2010, Ainge was fined $25,000 for tossing a towel to distract thenCleveland Cavaliers forwardJJ Hickson shooting a free throw during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.[21]
In 2013, Ainge traded Garnett and Pierce, along withJason Terry andD.J. White, to theBrooklyn Nets in exchange for five players plus the Nets' first-round picks in 2014, 2016, and 2018.[22] Boston also received the rights to swap picks with Brooklyn in 2017.[23] It is widely considered one of the most lopsided trades in league history, in favor of the Celtics, as the players from the trade became franchise cornerstonesJayson Tatum andJaylen Brown.[24] The trade would ultimately be instrumental in helping the Celtics win the2024 NBA Finals long after Ainge left the team.
On August 22, 2017, Ainge made another blockbuster deal, trading All-Star point guardIsaiah Thomas, as well asJae Crowder,Ante Žižić and the rights to the Nets' 2018 first-round draft pick, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for All-StarKyrie Irving.[25] Eight days later, the deal also included a 2020 second round pick from theMiami Heat as compensation relating to a prior injury to Thomas.[26] This move, however, wouldn't be as successful for the Celtics by comparison, as Irving would eventually leave the Celtics for theBrooklyn Nets after two seasons of play for them. Irving would, however, later play for the Celtics' opponents in the 2024 NBA Finals, theDallas Mavericks.
On June 2, 2021, Ainge announced his retirement and named head coachBrad Stevens as his replacement as President of Basketball Operations.[27] Ainge helped return the Celtics to the status of consistent contenders, guiding the team to 15 playoff appearances in 18 seasons at the helm after the team had only reached the postseason four times in 11 years prior to his arrival.
On December 15, 2021, Ainge was hired as the CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor of theUtah Jazz.[28]
Ainge's first transaction was hiring the new head coachWill Hardy afterQuin Snyder announced his resignation as head coach. In the 2022 NBA offseason, Ainge tradedRudy Gobert to Minnesota andDonovan Mitchell to Cleveland. In return of these two major trades, the Jazz receivedLauri Markkanen,Collin Sexton (via sign-and-trade),Malik Beasley,Jarred Vanderbilt, rights to the 14th and the 22nd picks (Ochai Agbaji andWalker Kessler) respectively, seven first round picks and four first round pick swaps.[citation needed] Ainge's third move was at the 2023 Trade Deadline. To clear cap space, he tradedMike Conley to Minnesota, andMalik Beasley andJarred Vanderbilt to theLakers. In return, the Jazz receivedRussell Westbrook (who later bought out the contract to sign with the Clippers),Juan Toscano-Anderson,Damian Jones and a 2027 first round pick. Ainge also signed young prospectsKris Dunn,Luka Samanic, andVernon Carey Jr.[29]
In 1996, Ainge made an appearance in the sports comedy filmSpace Jam, playing himself while as a member of thePhoenix Suns. While only a brief appearance, Ainge was dubbed "The Bad Shot Guy" after catching and shooting the ball at the same time whileCharles Barkley roamed the court after having his skills stolen by the Monstars.
While a player with the Suns, Ainge opened a national chain of hat stores which he has since sold.[30] Ainge has volunteered at a number of charitable organizations. Ainge also served as a commentator for theNBA on TNT.
Ainge and his wife, Michelle, reside inWellesley, Massachusetts; they have six children, one of whom,Austin, is president of basketball operations[31] for theUtah Jazz and like his father, played basketball atBYU. Another of his sons,Tanner, served as aUtah County Commissioner and ran unsuccessfully for Utah’s 3rd congressional district in2017, losing in theRepublican primary election to the eventual winner, futureSenatorJohn Curtis.
Ainge's nephew,Erik Ainge, was the starting quarterback on the football team at theUniversity of Tennessee[32] and was selected by theNew York Jets in the 5th round of the2008 NFL draft. Another nephew,Jake Toolson, played the shooting guard position forBYU and signed an Exhibit-10 contract with theUtah Jazz in 2020.[33]
Ainge and his family are active members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which Ainge served as a bishop.
Ainge had a mildheart attack in 2009,[34]and another in 2019.[35] He hasADHD, according to a personality test Ainge took when Doc Rivers was coaching the Celtics.[36]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Boston | 53 | 1 | 10.6 | .357 | .294 | .862 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| 1982–83 | Boston | 80 | 76 | 25.6 | .496 | .172 | .742 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 9.9 |
| 1983–84† | Boston | 71 | 3 | 16.3 | .460 | .273 | .821 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 5.4 |
| 1984–85 | Boston | 75 | 73 | 34.2 | .529 | .268 | .868 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 12.9 |
| 1985–86† | Boston | 80 | 78 | 30.1 | .504 | .356 | .904 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 10.7 |
| 1986–87 | Boston | 71 | 66 | 35.2 | .486 | .443 | .897 | 3.4 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 14.8 |
| 1987–88 | Boston | 81 | 81 | 37.3 | .491 | .415 | .878 | 3.1 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 15.7 |
| 1988–89 | Boston | 45 | 28 | 30.0 | .460 | .374 | .891 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 15.9 |
| 1988–89 | Sacramento | 28 | 26 | 36.7 | .452 | .387 | .813 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 20.3 |
| 1989–90 | Sacramento | 75 | 68 | 36.4 | .438 | .374 | .831 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 17.9 |
| 1990–91 | Portland | 80 | 0 | 21.4 | .472 | .406 | .826 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 11.1 |
| 1991–92 | Portland | 81 | 6 | 19.7 | .442 | .339 | .824 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 9.7 |
| 1992–93 | Phoenix | 80 | 0 | 27.0 | .462 | .403 | .848 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 11.8 |
| 1993–94 | Phoenix | 68 | 1 | 22.9 | .417 | .328 | .830 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 8.9 |
| 1994–95 | Phoenix | 74 | 1 | 18.6 | .460 | .364 | .808 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 7.7 |
| Career[37] | 1042 | 508 | 26.6 | .469 | .378 | .846 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 11.5 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 19.0 | .364 | .750 | .500 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 12.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Boston | 10 | 0 | 12.9 | .422 | .500 | .769 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 5.0 |
| 1983 | Boston | 7 | 7 | 28.7 | .389 | .400 | .727 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 9.4 |
| 1984† | Boston | 19 | 0 | 13.3 | .456 | .222 | .700 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| 1985 | Boston | 21 | 21 | 32.7 | .466 | .438 | .769 | 2.8 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 11.0 |
| 1986† | Boston | 18 | 18 | 36.2 | .554 | .412 | .867 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 15.6 |
| 1987 | Boston | 20 | 19 | 38.1 | .487 | .438 | .861 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 14.8 |
| 1988 | Boston | 17 | 17 | 39.4 | .386 | .328 | .881 | 3.1 | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 11.6 |
| 1991 | Portland | 16 | 0 | 17.3 | .448 | .306 | .821 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.0 |
| 1992 | Portland | 21 | 0 | 21.4 | .479 | .404 | .830 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 10.6 |
| 1993 | Phoenix | 24 | 0 | 24.6 | .376 | .413 | .872 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 8.1 |
| 1994 | Phoenix | 10 | 0 | 23.0 | .458 | .425 | .714 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 8.6 |
| 1995 | Phoenix | 10 | 0 | 13.7 | .500 | .462 | .909 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 6.0 |
| Career[37] | 193 | 82 | 26.1 | .456 | .397 | .829 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 9.9 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 1996–97 | 74 | 40 | 34 | .541 | 4th in Pacific | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Phoenix | 1997–98 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 3rd in Pacific | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Phoenix | 1998–99 | 50 | 27 | 23 | .540 | 3rd in Pacific | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Phoenix | 1999–2000 | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | (resigned) | — | — | — | — | – |
| Career | 226 | 136 | 90 | .602 | 12 | 3 | 9 | .250 |
Disdain for Ainge and the annoying fact that his teams kept winning started building in high school as he led his basketball team to back-to-back Oregon state championships. Naturally, opposing teams found it hard to like the only high school athlete ever to be named a first-team All-American in football, baseball, and basketball.
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