Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge is an American former professional basketball player and executive, and former professional baseball player.

A three-sport star in high school, Ainge 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). During his playing career he appeared in one all star game, and was the NBA Executive of the Year in 2008. Ainge served as the Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2008 until his retirement in 2021.

Following his playing career, Ainge joined TNT as a color analyst for the 1995-96 season before returning to the court with the Phoenix Suns as an Assistant Coach prior to the 1996-97 season. Just eight games into the season he was promoted to Head Coach and guided this club to a 40-34 record after the team started the season 0-8. He spent the next two-plus seasons as Head Coach of the Suns and compiled a 136-90 (.602) record before stepping down on December 13, 1999 and returning to TNT as an analyst. In his three-plus seasons as the Suns coach, he guided Phoenix to three playoff berths.

Ainge enjoyed a storybook collegiate career at Brigham Young University from 1977-1981. He won the 1981 John Wooden and Eastman Awards as the nation’s best college basketball player following his senior season, when he averaged 24.4 points per game. At North Eugene (Ore.) High School, Ainge was an All-American in basketball, football and baseball. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 free agent draft (15th round), he played three seasons of Major League Baseball while still attending BYU. Ainge was inducted into Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame in August 1999 and was the first player in BYU history to have his jersey number (#22) retired.

In January, 2006, Ainge received the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award, an award that recognizes former student-athletes who completed their successful collegiate career and then went on to excel in their chosen profession.

For his shrewd off-season acquisitions that led the Celtics to their NBA record 17th Championship, Ainge was named as The Sporting News 2008 NBA Executive of the Year.

Ainge and his wife, Michelle, have six children: Ashlee, Austin, Tanner, Taylor, Cooper and Crew, and eight grandchildren: Sage, Cason, Andre, Siena, Oscar, Oliver, Finley and Eloise.