Danny Ainge

At 65 years old, Danny Ainge has this physical status:

Daniel Ray Ainge (born March 17, 1959) is an American basketball executive and former professional basketball and baseball player.

Ainge is the current Boston Celtics general manager and President of Basketball Operations for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ainge was an outstanding high school student.

He was named national basketball college athlete of the year and received the John R. Wooden Award for the most outstanding male college basketball player at Brigham Young University.

Ainge spent three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB), mainly as a second baseman while in college.

The Celtics drafted him into the NBA for the second time.

Ainge spent 14 seasons with the Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns, mostly as a shooting guard.

He went on to coach the Suns for three seasons before joining the Celtics, with whom Ainge has three NBA Championships to his name (two as a player and one as President/GM). He is the only one to be named as a member of the United States' first team All-American in American football, basketball, and baseball.

Early life

Ainge was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and attended North Eugene High School as a multi-sport athlete. In 1976 and 1977, he led the Highlanders' basketball team to consecutive AAA state championships, earning all-state recognition both years and being one of Oregon's top football recruits at wide receiver. He was accepted into the 1977 Parade High School All-America team, and he was the first one to represent a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball as a youth.

Personal life

Ainge and his partner, Michelle, live in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and they have six children (Ashlee, Austin, Tanner, Taylor, Cooper and Crew). Austin Ainge, the Boston Celtics' director of player personnel, grew up basketball at BYU. Tanner Ainge, a Utah County Commissioner, businessman, and advocate, is a licensed attorney in Utah.

Erik Ainge, Ainge's nephew, was the starting quarterback on the University of Tennessee's football team and was selected by the New York Jets in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Jake Toolson, Jake Toolson, played the shooting guard for BYU for the past two years and recently signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Utah Jazz.

Ainge and his family are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which Ainge served as a bishop.

Ainge suffered a mild heart attack in 2009 and another in 2019. He has ADHD, according to a personality questionnaire he took when Doc Rivers was coaching the Celtics.

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College career

Ainge played basketball at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. In the 1981 NCAA championship, he shot one of the best-known shots against Notre Dame in Atlanta, earning the Cougars a one-point victory. Ainge wrapped up his senior year by winning the Eastman Award and the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the best collegiate student in the United States. Ainge made four-years as a player at BYU, a two-time First Team Academic All-American, the WAC Player of the Year, and a four-time All-WAC selection. He ended his college career by scoring in double figures in 112 straight games, an NCAA record at that time.

Baseball career

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Ainge in baseball's 1977 amateur draft. He made it to the major leagues with the Blue Jays in 1979 while still in college. Mostly a second baseman, he appeared in third base and outfield as well, winning.220 in his baseball career with two home runs and 146 hits in 211 games. He is the second-youngest player in the Blue Jays to reach a home run, surpassing only Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 20 years and 77 days.

Ainge decided to pursue a career in basketball after three years with the Blue Jays in 1981, but the Boston Celtics was forced to buy Ainge's contract from the Blue Jays due to a court fight.

Ainge is one of 13 players to play in both Major and National Basketball, as well as Frank Baumholtz, Hank Biasatti, Gene Conley, Chuck Connors, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Grietts, Mick Groatson, Rob Lee, Cotton Nash, Dick Ricketts, and Howie Schultz.

Basketball career

Ainge's NBA basketball debut was not a success, as Ainge's NBA basketball debut came first. Larry Bird's autobiography Drive: The Story of My Life had a bad first day of practice, "shooting 0–2,547." Bill Fitch, the Celtics' head coach, gave Ainge a rough time, claiming that his batting average was higher than his shooting percentage on the basketball court. However, Ainge was a key player for the Celtics teams that captured NBA championships in 1984 and 1986.

Ainge played sparingly during his rookie season (1981–82), but he came into the starting lineup in his second year, averaging 9.9 points per game. However, new coach K.C. In his third season (1983-84), Jones brought Ainge back to the bench, replacing Gerald Henderson. Ainge remained a key role player off the bench, assisting the Celtics in defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals last year. Henderson was traded from Seattle in the off-season, Ainge's return to the starting guard position opposite Dennis Johnson was traded by the Celtics. In 1984–85, Ainge responded by scoring 12.9 points and 5.3 assists per game. For the majority of the next five seasons, he remained a starter for the Celtics. In 1985–86, the Celtics claimed the championship for the second time in NBA history; the Celtics are widely regarded as one of the best in the game ever. Ainge finished second in free throw shooting (89.7%) and third in 3-point shooting (44.3%) in 1986-87. He made 148 3-pointers in the ensuing NBA single-season, beating Darrell Griffith of the Utah Jazz's previous record of 92 points. Ainge played in his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game this year, scoring 12 points.

Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1989, along with Brad Lohaus, for young center Joe Kleine (who was seen as a potential successor to the aging Robert Parish) and Ed Pinckney. In the half-season with the Kings, Ainge averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game, making him a regular player on a team with no superstars. In a loss to the Golden State Warriors, he scored 45 points, matching a career record set just a few months earlier against the Philadelphia 76ers when he was still playing for the Celtics.

In 1990, Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Byron Irvin and draft picks. Since he was a native of Oregon, he was considered a hometown favorite by Blazers fans. He helped the Blazers reach the 1992 NBA Finals but the Chicago Bulls lost in six games to the Chicago Bulls. During a championship game in an overtime, he scored nine points in the extra period, tying a new NBA record for most points in an overtime.

Ainge became a free agent after the 1991-1992 season. He had suggested in media interviews that ideally wanted to remain in Portland and then contact the Blazers' management before seriously considering bids from other teams. Ainge did not sign a contract with the Phoenix Suns on his first day of free agency on July 1, 1992. As the Suns went 62-20 last season and reached the NBA finals, losing to Michael Jordan's Bulls in six games. Ainge averaged 11.8 points per game.

He made 1,934 points in a game average of 2.7, and 4,199 assists in an average of four per game, making him the second man to reach 900 three-point shots in NBA history (he made 1,002 three-pointers for his career).

After the 1994–95 season, Ainge retired. He had the highest personal winning percentage in NBA history at the time of his retirement, edging out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 69% to 68.8%, edging out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 66% to 68.8%. In 1999, Ainge was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Ainge was known as a brash, hard-nosed player who enraged opponents throughout his playing career. Whereupon Rollins elbowed Ainge in the chest during a 1983 playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks, he called 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m). Rollins was defeated by Ainge, and the two began battling. Rollins' middle finger was so painful that it needed two stitches to hold the tendon together. Ainge had been suspended from the competition for the first time. On the April 25, 1983 Boston Herald, the event prompted the headline "Tree Bites Man." Ainge and Michael Jordan clashed at midcourt when playing for the Phoenix Suns in 1993; both were given a technical foul. Ainge fired an inbounding pass at Houston Rockets guard Mario Elie's head, kicking him in the chest and pulling his neck back.

Post-basketball playing career

In 1996, he became the Phoenix Suns head coach. His resigning from the Suns coaching career in 1999 was a surprise; he cited a desire to spend more time with his family. Assistant coach Scott Skiles had him suspended. Ainge has also worked as a commentator on NBA On TNT.

He was hired as the executive director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics in 2003. Ainge has been tense in his time as a Celtics executive, acquiring well-known players, including three-time All-Star Antoine Walker (earning himself the nickname "Trader Danny"), and having personality issues with then-head coach Jim O'Brien (which culminated in O'Brien's release to the Philadelphia 76ers). However, Ainge retained both the Celtics' ownership group and—perhaps more important—legendary former head coach Red 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, the team's captain and star of the franchise, expressed disappointment with the team's woes. If management were unable to find veteran talent of Pierce's caliber, he demanded a trade to a contender.

For the first time since the early 1990s, Ainge responded with two bold moves that changed the franchise's fortunes almost overnight: Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Seattle SuperSonics' Ray Allen returned the Celtics to the top of the NBA's top franchises. During the 2007–08 season, the Celtics won a new "Big Three" and led the Celtics to their best record (66–16). It was the most dramatic single-season rise in league history (42 more wins than the previous year) and Ainge was named the NBA Executive of the Year Award for the first time.

In the 2008 NBA Finals, Boston met the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing back the long-running rivalry between the two teams. The Celtics captured the series in six games, giving the franchise their 17th NBA championship. Danny Ainge lifted the trophy for the first time after winning in 1986. He was named President of Basketball Operations in October 2008, following the Celtics' championship season.

During game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Ainge was fined $25K for tossing a towel distracting then Cleveland Cavaliers forward JJ Hickson shooting a free throw.

Garnett and Pierce were traded by Ainge in 2013, as well as Jason Terry and D.J. In exchange for five players in addition to the Nets' first-round picks in 2014, 2016, and 2018, White has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In 2017, Boston was granted the right to trade picks with Brooklyn. It is widely believed to be one of the most competitive trades in league history, with the Celtics in favour of the Celtics.

Ainge completed another blockbuster deal on August 22, 2017, swapping All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, Ae Crowder, Ante ii, and the rights to the Nets' 2018 first-round draft pick for All-Star Kyrie Irving to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Miami Heat also included a 2020 second round pick as compensation for Thomas's prior injury.

Ainge announced his retirement and named head coach Brad Stevens as his replacement in the president of basketball operations role on June 2, 2021.

Ainge was hired as the head of basketball operations and interim governor of the Utah Jazz in December 2021.

Danny Ainge made his acting debut in Space Jam in 1996, playing himself. Ainge was nicknamed "The Bad Shot Guy" after catching and shooting the ball at the same time, while Charles Barkley wandered the court after being robbed by the Monstars.

Ainge, a Suns player, founded a national chain of hat stores, which he has since sold. Since retiring, he has served his time at a number of charitable causes and has worked in a variety of fields.

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