Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge was a shooting guard with the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. He played with the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers before joining the Suns. He also played with the Toronto Blue Jays in the Major League Baseball.

Ainge did his schooling from the North Eugene High School and led the school basketball team to two consecutive state basketball championship wins in 1976 and 1977. He also played football in school. In 1977 he was selected to the High School All America team by Parade Magazine. He later attended college at the Brigham Young University and played for the BYU Cougars where he was awarded the John R. Wooden Award for the best collegiate player in the United States. While still in college, Ainge was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays to play in the major league baseball. He played with the Blue Jays for four years and quit baseball to pursue basketball. He was seclected by the Boston Celtics in 1981. He went on to win the NBA Championships with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986. In 1989, the Sacramento Kings bought Ainge and later traded him to the Portland trail Blazers after a year in 1990. In 1992, Ainge was a free agent and signed with the Phoenix Suns whom he helped to reach the NBA finals. However the Suns lost to the Chicago Bulls led by Jordan. Danny Ainge retired in 1995.

After retirement, Ainge coached the Phoenix Suns and later was a broadcaster with the TNT. In 2003, Ainge took over the Boston Celtics as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations.

In a total of 1042 games that he played in the NBA, Ainge averaged at 11.5 points per game and 4 assists per game.

Career Highlights

NCAA John R. Wooden Award, 1980. NBA Champion, 1984 and 1986. Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, 1999.