Utah Jazz to name Danny Ainge an alternate governor and CEO of basketball
The Utah Jazz named former Boston Celtics player and longtime president of basketball operations Danny Ainge the franchise's new CEO of basketball and an alternate governor on Wednesday.
Ainge, 62, will oversee the front office in Utah, where Justin Zanik will remain general manager of the third-place Jazz. Zanik assumed the leadership position in Utah's basketball operations when longtime executive Dennis Lindsey transitioned into an advisory role in June, weeks after Ainge stepped down from the Celtics.
Alternate governors in NBA parlance are minority shareholders in an organization.
"Joining the Jazz was a natural and perfect fit for me, as my roots in Utah are deep and strong," Ainge said in a statement. "This is a team that has a tremendous foundation of players and people, and Justin and [coach] Quin [Snyder] are doing an amazing job. I am excited to collaborate with them, be a resource, and share the perspective I have as we work together to bring our fans the success that they deserve.”
Ainge was an All-American and the 1981 national college player of the year at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. His sons Austin and Cooper also played at BYU. Austin is still the director of player personnel for the Celtics. Another son, Tanner, serves on the Governor’s Economic Development Board in Utah. Ainge and his wife Michelle recently relocated to Utah from the Boston area, according to a Jazz press release.
Ainge and Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who purchased the team for $1.6 billion last year, have a decades-long friendship and golf rivalry. Like Ainge, Smith is a native of Eugene, Oregon, and a BYU graduate. Smith quelled speculation about Ainge joining the Jazz in August, telling reporters, "I know the media likes to write about it like there’s this thing going on with Danny, but Danny has been a mentor and a friend for 20 years."
Smith and Ainge came to an agreement at Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge golf tournament in the Bahamas earlier this month, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.
"If you have DA sitting 20 minutes away in Utah, you put him to work, right?" Smith told ESPN. "Everyone has always asked, 'Is this the plan?' Well, it definitely wasn't Danny's plan until last week."
Ainge played 14 seasons for the Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, winning two titles alongside Larry Bird and making an All-Star appearance with Boston in the 1980s. He coached the Suns for three seasons before taking over basketball operations for the Celtics in 2003.
In 18 years on the job, Ainge was the architect of Boston's 2008 championship team and six conference finalists. His 2007 acquisition of Kevin Garnett and the 2013 trade of Garnett and fellow Hall of Famer Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets are considered two of the most successful deals of this NBA century.
The Jazz have never won a title in their 47-year history. They last reached a conference finals in 2007.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
