1. Daniel Ray Ainge 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.
41 Facts About Danny Ainge
1. 2.
Danny Ainge served as the Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021.
3.
Danny Ainge was then drafted into the NBA by the Celtics in 1981.
4.
Danny 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.
5.
Danny Ainge 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.
6.
Danny Ainge was the NBA Executive of the Year in 2008.
7.
Danny Ainge concluded his college career having scored in double figures in 112 consecutive games, an NCAA record at that time.
8.
Danny Ainge was selected in baseball's 1977 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
9.
Danny Ainge made it to the major leagues with the Blue Jays in 1979 while still in college.
10.
Mostly a second baseman, Danny Ainge played third base and outfield positions as well, hitting.
11.
Danny Ainge 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.
12.
Danny Ainge played sparingly during his rookie season, but broke into the starting lineup in his second year, averaging 9.9 points per game.
13.
Danny Ainge remained an important role player off the bench, helping the Celtics defeat the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that year.
14.
Danny Ainge remained a starter for the Celtics for most of the next five seasons.
15.
Danny Ainge made his only appearance in the NBA All-Star Game that year, scoring 12 points.
16.
In 1989, Danny Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings, along with Brad Lohaus, for young center Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney.
17.
Now a featured player on a team with no superstars, Danny Ainge averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game in that half-season with the Kings.
18.
Danny Ainge scored 45 points for the Kings in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, matching a career high that he had set just a few months prior against the Philadelphia 76ers while still playing for the Celtics at that time.
19.
In 1990, Danny Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Byron Irvin and draft picks.
20.
Danny Ainge would go on to help the Blazers reach the 1992 NBA Finals, but they would succumb to the Chicago Bulls in six games.
21.
Danny Ainge 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.
22.
However, on July 1,1992, Danny Ainge signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns on his first day of free agency.
23.
Danny Ainge was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
24.
Danny Ainge was ejected from the contest for starting the fight.
25.
Danny Ainge is still known to some as "The Moaning Mormon".
26.
Danny Ainge rejoined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant to head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons in May 1996.
27.
On December 14,1999, Danny Ainge resigned as head coach of the Suns; he cited a need to spend more time with his family.
28.
In 2003, Danny Ainge was hired as the executive director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics.
29.
Danny 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.
30.
Danny Ainge requested a trade to a contender if management were unable to acquire veteran talent of Pierce's caliber.
31.
Danny 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.
32.
Danny Ainge held the trophy for the first time since winning in 1986.
33.
On May 3,2010, Danny Ainge was fined $25,000 for tossing a towel to distract then Cleveland Cavaliers forward JJ Hickson shooting a free throw during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
34.
The trade would ultimately be instrumental in helping the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals long after Danny Ainge left the team.
35.
On June 2,2021, Danny Ainge announced his retirement and named head coach Brad Stevens as his replacement as President of Basketball Operations.
36.
Danny 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.
37.
On December 15,2021, Danny Ainge was hired as the CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor of the Utah Jazz.
38.
Danny Ainge signed young prospects Kris Dunn, Luka Samanic, and Vernon Carey Jr.
39.
In 1996, Danny Ainge made an appearance in the sports comedy film Space Jam, playing himself while as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
40.
Danny Ainge had a mild heart attack in 2009, and another in 2019.
41.
Danny Ainge has ADHD, according to a personality test Ainge took when Doc Rivers was coaching the Celtics.