Danny Ainge

Daniel Ray Ainge (born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

During his 18-year career as general manager for the Boston Celtics, he was known for making bold moves to help the team rebuild, clearing cap space and tanking for picks.

He led the Highlanders' basketball team to consecutive AAA state titles in 1976 and 1977, earning all-state honors both years, and was considered one of the top football recruits in Oregon at wide receiver.

As a junior, he was named to the 1977 Parade High School All-America team, and is the only one to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball.

Ainge played college basketball at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.

Ainge was selected in baseball's 1977 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

He made it to the major leagues with the Blue Jays in while still in college.

Mostly a second baseman, he played third base and outfield positions as well, hitting .220 in his baseball career with two home runs and 146 hits in 211 games.

He is the second-youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit a home run, at 20 years and 77 days, surpassed only by Vladimir Guerrero Jr..

He hit one of the best-known shots in the 1981 NCAA tournament, against Notre Dame in Atlanta in the Sweet Sixteen, when his coast-to-coast drive and lay-up with two seconds remaining gave the Cougars a one-point win.

Ainge concluded his senior year by winning the Eastman Award, as well as the John 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.

After three years with the Blue Jays, Ainge decided to pursue a career in basketball and was chosen in the second round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, 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 the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, along with Frank Baumholtz, Hank Biasatti, Gene Conley, Chuck Connors, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton,

Mark Hendrickson, Cotton Nash, Ron Reed, Dick Ricketts, and Howie Schultz.

Not everything went well for Ainge in NBA basketball at first.

He had a terrible first day of practice, "shooting 0–2,547", Larry Bird wrote in his autobiography Drive: The Story of My Life. Celtics head coach Bill Fitch gave Ainge a rough time, saying his batting average was better than his shooting percentage on the basketball court.

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 coach K.C. Jones moved Ainge back to the bench in his third season (1983–84), starting Gerald Henderson instead.

Ainge remained an important role player off the bench, helping the Celtics defeat the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that year.

The Celtics traded Henderson to Seattle in the off-season, returning Ainge to the starting guard position opposite Dennis Johnson.

But Ainge became an important player for the Celtics teams that won NBA titles in 1984 and 1986.

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 by Darrell Griffith of the Utah Jazz.

Ainge made his only appearance in the NBA All-Star Game that year, scoring 12 points.

During his playing career he appeared in the 1988 All-Star Game, and was the NBA Executive of the Year in 2008.

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Ainge was a multi-sport star at North Eugene High School.

In 1989, Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings, along with Brad Lohaus, for young center Joe Kleine (whom the Celtics saw as a possible successor to the aging Robert Parish) and Ed 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.

Ainge served as the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021, when he was succeeded by incumbent head coach Brad Stevens (whom he had hired in 2014).

A three-sport star in high school, he was named to All-America teams in football, basketball, and baseball.

At Brigham Young University, he was named national basketball college player of the year and won the John R. Wooden Award for the most outstanding male college basketball player.

While in college, Ainge also played parts of three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly as a second baseman.

He was then drafted into the NBA by the Celtics.

Ainge played in the NBA for 14 seasons, playing for the Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns, primarily as a shooting guard.

He went on to coach the Suns for three seasons before joining management of the Celtics, with whom Ainge has three NBA championships to his credit (two as a player, one as a team executive).