Danny Ainge
Encyclopedia
Daniel Ray "Danny" Ainge (born March 17, 1959) is an American
basketball
manager and retired professional basketball
and baseball
player, currently serving as President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics
.
Ainge was a standout high school athlete, holding the distinction as the only person to be a high school first team All-America
n in football, basketball, and baseball. Ainge elected to attend Brigham Young University
for college, where he was named the national collegiate player of the year by NABC
and won the John R. Wooden Award
. Following college, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball
and then was drafted in the National Basketball Association
where he completed 14 seasons. He went on to coach the NBA's Phoenix Suns
for three seasons before joining management of the Boston Celtics
.
and talented in multiple sports, Ainge starred in high school on his football
team and led North Eugene High School
to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1976 and 1977, earning all-state honors both years; he was considered one of the top prep football recruits in the state of Oregon. As a junior, he was named to the 1977 Parade magazine
High School All-America team. Danny Ainge is the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball.
Ainge played basketball at Brigham Young University
and became a household name after hitting one of the greatest shots in NCAA
March Madness
history against Notre Dame in 1981. His coast-to-coast drive with only seven 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.
by Toronto
. 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 2 home run
s and 146 hits in 211 games. He is the youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit a home run at 20 years and 77 days. Ainge played on the losing end of Len Barker
's 1981 perfect game
, going 0-for-2.
After three years with the Blue Jays, Ainge decided to pursue a career in basketball and was chosen in the 1981 NBA Draft
by the Boston Celtics
, who had to buy out Ainge's contract from the Blue Jays after a legal battle.
in his autobiography Drive: The Story of My Life, Ainge had a terrible first day of practice, "shooting 0–19". The coach, Bill Fitch, gave Ainge a rough time, saying his batting average was better than his shooting percentage on the basketball court. But Ainge became one of the important pieces of the team that won the NBA title in 1984
and 1986
, and a major contributor of the mid to late 1980s Celtics teams.
He was known as a hard-nosed player, often infuriating opponents with his combative style and brash personality. In a 1983
playoff game against Atlanta
, he exchanged blows with the 7 foot 1 inch Tree Rollins
and was ejected from the contest. Larry Bird gives an account about Ainge's fight with Rollins in his autobiography Drive. Bird said that Danny had called Rollins a sissy earlier which ended up in the two fighting. Bird said that after the fight was broken up, Ainge rose up off the floor laughing, stating, "That big sissy just bit me." Also, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, Ainge got into a tussle with Michael Jordan
at mid court and both were given a technical foul. In a 1994 postseason game, Ainge rifled an inbounding pass at the head of Houston Rockets
guard Mario Elie
, striking him in the face, snapping his neck back.
In 1989, Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings for young center Joe Kleine
, whom the Celtics saw as a possible substitute to the aging Robert Parish
, and Ed Pinckney
.
In 1990, Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Being a native of Oregon, he was considered a hometown favorite by Blazers fans. He helped the Blazers reach the 1992 NBA Finals, only to succumb to the Chicago 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 an overtime
during a finals game.
After the 1991–92 NBA 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. On July 1, 1992, however, Ainge signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns
on his first day of free agency.
The Phoenix Suns were a team looking for a new identity. They inaugurated a new home (America West Arena), hired a new head coach (Paul Westphal
) and a new superstar (Charles Barkley
). The team also redesigned their logo and uniform when they signed free agent Ainge prior to the 1992–93 NBA season, figuring that his experience would help the team during the playoffs. Ainge responded by scoring 11.8 points per game as the Suns went 62–20 that year and reached the NBA finals
, where they lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls in six games.
On January 18, 1994, he became the second man ever to hit 900 three-point shots in NBA history (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 the 1994–1995 season. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1999.
. In 2003, he was hired as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics.
Ainge has often been controversial in his role as a Celtics executive, trading popular players such as three-time All-Star Antoine Walker
and having personality conflicts with then-head coach Jim O'Brien (which eventually led to O'Brien's departure to the Philadelphia 76ers
). However, Ainge kept the support of both the Celtics' ownership group and—perhaps most importantly—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
, 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.
Ainge responded with two bold moves that changed the franchise's fortunes almost overnight: the 2007 trades for the Minnesota Timberwolves
' Kevin Garnett
and the Seattle 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 the 2007–08 NBA season. It was the most dramatic single-season improvement in league history (42 wins more than the previous year), and it earned Ainge the NBA Executive of the Year award.
Boston faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals
, renewing the long rivalry between the two teams. The Celtics won the series in six games, giving the franchise its 17th NBA championship. Danny 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.
On May 3, 2010 Ainge was fined $25K for tossing a towel to distract a Cleveland Cavalier player shooting a free throw during game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5167992
, light mockery was made at Ainge's expense: At a fictional All-Star basketball game attended by the Bundy family, the public announcer said Ladies and gentlemen, here are your NBA All Stars and Danny Ainge!. Clyde Drexler
also laments when watching Peggy shooting a free throw that "if we had her instead of Ainge, we would have won the championship". Danny Ainge is also discussed during the 1999 movie Mumford
, where several of the characters are very impressed by him being both a professional basketball and baseball player, and one names her dog after him. Ainge also had a cameo appearance in the movie The Singles Ward
. Ainge also makes an appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam
. Ainge is also mentioned in the La Coka Nostra song, "Bang Bang".
; they have six children (Ashley, Austin, Tanner, Taylor, Cooper and Crew). His son, Austin Ainge
, was the Head Coach of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA's Development League until recently being named director of player personnel for the Boston Celtics organization and like his father, played basketball at BYU
. He was an Honorable Mention at the All-Mountain West Conference during the 2004–05 and the 2006–07 seasons as a sophomore and a senior. Austin was an assistant men's basketball coach at Southern Utah University
in the 2007 season, alongside Roger Reid
. Ainge's nephew, Erik Ainge
, was the starting quarterback on the football team at the University of Tennessee
and was selected by the New York Jets
in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Another nephew, Landon Ainge, was a back-up point guard on Lake Oswego High School
's Oregon state championship basketball team alongside 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award
winner, UCLA standout and current NBA player Kevin Love. A third nephew, Ryan Toolson, was a stand-out guard at Utah Valley University, where he was named last season's NCAA Division I Independent Player of the Year after averaging eighth in the nation in points per game with 23.4. Ainge and his family are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Danny Ainge awoke sick on April 15, 2009 and missed a Boston Celtics game. It was discovered later he had suffered a mild heart attack
.
His brother, Doug Ainge, is a teacher and coach who was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for state representative in Oregon's House District 30.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
manager and retired professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, currently serving as President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
Ainge was a standout high school athlete, holding the distinction as the only person to be a high school first team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in football, basketball, and baseball. Ainge elected to attend Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
for college, where he was named the national collegiate player of the year by NABC
NABC Player of the Year
The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top player in men's college basketball. The award has been given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball players...
and won the John R. Wooden Award
John R. Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
. Following college, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and then was drafted in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
where he completed 14 seasons. He went on to coach the NBA's Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
for three seasons before joining management of the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
Early sports playing career
Born in Eugene, OregonEugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
and talented in multiple sports, Ainge starred in high school on his football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and led North Eugene High School
North Eugene High School
North Eugene High School is a public high school in the Santa Clara neighborhood of Eugene, Oregon, United States.-History:North Eugene High School was open to students on October 21, 1957...
to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1976 and 1977, earning all-state honors both years; he was considered one of the top prep football recruits in the state of Oregon. As a junior, he was named to the 1977 Parade magazine
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
High School All-America team. Danny Ainge is the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball.
Ainge played basketball at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and became a household name after hitting one of the greatest shots in NCAA
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
March Madness
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
history against Notre Dame in 1981. His coast-to-coast drive with only seven 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
John R. Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
—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.
Baseball career
Ainge was selected in baseball's 1977 amateur draft1977 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The White Sox raised some brows when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill Gullickson, a native of nearby Orland Park, IL, and selected outfielder Harold Baines as the number one...
by Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. 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 2 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 146 hits in 211 games. He is the youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit a home run at 20 years and 77 days. Ainge played on the losing end of Len Barker
Len Barker
Leonard Harold Barker III , better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers...
's 1981 perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
, going 0-for-2.
After three years with the Blue Jays, Ainge decided to pursue a career in basketball and was chosen in the 1981 NBA Draft
1981 NBA Draft
The 1981 NBA Draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
by the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, who had to buy out Ainge's contract from the Blue Jays after a legal battle.
NBA career
Not everything went well for Ainge in basketball at first. According to Larry BirdLarry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
in his autobiography Drive: The Story of My Life, Ainge had a terrible first day of practice, "shooting 0–19". The coach, Bill Fitch, gave Ainge a rough time, saying his batting average was better than his shooting percentage on the basketball court. But Ainge became one of the important pieces of the team that won the NBA title in 1984
1984 NBA Finals
The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of...
and 1986
1986 NBA Finals
The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would...
, and a major contributor of the mid to late 1980s Celtics teams.
He was known as a hard-nosed player, often infuriating opponents with his combative style and brash personality. In a 1983
1983 NBA Playoffs
The 1983 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1982-1983 season. This was the final postseason using the 12-team format, before the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams the next season...
playoff game against Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, he exchanged blows with the 7 foot 1 inch Tree Rollins
Tree Rollins
Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins is a retired American professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. He was primarily known under his playing name, Tree...
and was ejected from the contest. Larry Bird gives an account about Ainge's fight with Rollins in his autobiography Drive. Bird said that Danny had called Rollins a sissy earlier which ended up in the two fighting. Bird said that after the fight was broken up, Ainge rose up off the floor laughing, stating, "That big sissy just bit me." Also, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, Ainge got into a tussle with Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
at mid court and both were given a technical foul. In a 1994 postseason game, Ainge rifled an inbounding pass at the head of Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
guard Mario Elie
Mario Elie
Mario Antoine Elie is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Currently, he works as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings.-Early life and career:...
, striking him in the face, snapping his neck back.
In 1989, Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings for young center Joe Kleine
Joe Kleine
Joseph William Kleine is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.Kleine, a seven-foot center, graduated from Slater High School in Slater, Missouri and originally enrolled to play basketball at the University of Notre Dame...
, whom the Celtics saw as a possible substitute to the aging Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
, and Ed Pinckney
Ed Pinckney
Edward Lewis Pinckney is a retired NBA basketball player.- College career :A 6'9" forward, Pinckney led Villanova University to the NCAA title over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in 1985...
.
In 1990, Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Being a native of Oregon, he was considered a hometown favorite by Blazers fans. He helped the Blazers reach the 1992 NBA Finals, only to succumb to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
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 an overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
during a finals game.
After the 1991–92 NBA 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. On July 1, 1992, however, Ainge signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
on his first day of free agency.
The Phoenix Suns were a team looking for a new identity. They inaugurated a new home (America West Arena), hired a new head coach (Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal is a retired American basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings. Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA...
) and a new superstar (Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
). The team also redesigned their logo and uniform when they signed free agent Ainge prior to the 1992–93 NBA season, figuring that his experience would help the team during the playoffs. Ainge responded by scoring 11.8 points per game as the Suns went 62–20 that year and reached the NBA finals
1993 NBA Finals
The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992-93 NBA season, featuring the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Phoenix Suns, winners of 62 games and led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley...
, where they lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls in six games.
On January 18, 1994, he became the second man ever to hit 900 three-point shots in NBA history (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 the 1994–1995 season. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1999.
Post-basketball playing career
While a player with the Blue Jays, Ainge opened a national chain of hat stores which he has since sold. He has volunteered his time at a number of charitable organizations and has held a number of jobs since retiring. He became head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 1996. His resignation from the Suns coaching job was a sudden one; he cited a need to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by Assistant Coach Scott SkilesScott Skiles
Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with 30...
. In 2003, he was hired as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics.
Ainge has often been controversial in his role as a Celtics executive, trading popular players such as three-time All-Star Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...
and having personality conflicts with then-head coach Jim O'Brien (which eventually led to O'Brien's departure to the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
). However, Ainge kept the support of both the Celtics' ownership group and—perhaps most importantly—legendary former head coach Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach was an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death...
, 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
Boston Celtics seasons
This is a list of seasons completed by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. It documents the team's season-by-season records, including post-season records, and also includes year-end awards won by the team's players and/or coaches....
. Following the season, Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce , nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the...
, 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.
Ainge responded with two bold moves that changed the franchise's fortunes almost overnight: the 2007 trades for the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
' Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
and the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
' Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
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 the 2007–08 NBA season. It was the most dramatic single-season improvement in league history (42 wins more than the previous year), and it earned Ainge the NBA Executive of the Year award.
Boston faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals
2008 NBA Finals
The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007–08 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a...
, renewing the long rivalry between the two teams. The Celtics won the series in six games, giving the franchise its 17th NBA championship. Danny 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.
On May 3, 2010 Ainge was fined $25K for tossing a towel to distract a Cleveland Cavalier player shooting a free throw during game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5167992
In popular culture
In an early 1990s episode of Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, light mockery was made at Ainge's expense: At a fictional All-Star basketball game attended by the Bundy family, the public announcer said Ladies and gentlemen, here are your NBA All Stars and Danny Ainge!. Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
also laments when watching Peggy shooting a free throw that "if we had her instead of Ainge, we would have won the championship". Danny Ainge is also discussed during the 1999 movie Mumford
Mumford (film)
Mumford is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is set in a small town where a new psychologist gives offbeat advice to the neurotic residents...
, where several of the characters are very impressed by him being both a professional basketball and baseball player, and one names her dog after him. Ainge also had a cameo appearance in the movie The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. Ainge also makes an appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
. Ainge is also mentioned in the La Coka Nostra song, "Bang Bang".
Personal life
Ainge and his wife, Michelle, currently reside in Wellesley, MassachusettsWellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
; they have six children (Ashley, Austin, Tanner, Taylor, Cooper and Crew). His son, Austin Ainge
Austin Ainge
Austin Ainge is a basketball coach, scout, and former collegiate player. On July 21, 2009 he was named the first head coach of the Maine Red Claws, an expansion team in the NBA Development League....
, was the Head Coach of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA's Development League until recently being named director of player personnel for the Boston Celtics organization and like his father, played basketball at BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
. He was an Honorable Mention at the All-Mountain West Conference during the 2004–05 and the 2006–07 seasons as a sophomore and a senior. Austin was an assistant men's basketball coach at Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...
in the 2007 season, alongside Roger Reid
Roger Reid
Roger Reid is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach for Southern Utah University men's basketball team. He was head coach at Brigham Young University from 1989 to 1996, assistant coach for the NBA's Phoenix Suns, and played for former NBA coach Dick Motta at Weber State...
. Ainge's nephew, Erik Ainge
Erik Ainge
Erik Douglas Ainge is a retired American football quarterback formerly of the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, was the starting quarterback on the football team at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and was selected by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Another nephew, Landon Ainge, was a back-up point guard on Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon. LOHS is accredited through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.-History:...
's Oregon state championship basketball team alongside 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award
Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award
The Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, named for Canadian basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player...
winner, UCLA standout and current NBA player Kevin Love. A third nephew, Ryan Toolson, was a stand-out guard at Utah Valley University, where he was named last season's NCAA Division I Independent Player of the Year after averaging eighth in the nation in points per game with 23.4. Ainge and his family are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Danny Ainge awoke sick on April 15, 2009 and missed a Boston Celtics game. It was discovered later he had suffered a mild heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
His brother, Doug Ainge, is a teacher and coach who was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for state representative in Oregon's House District 30.
See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
- List of multi-sport athletes