Danny Ainge

Daniel Ray Ainge

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 175 lb.
• School Brigham Young University
• High School North Eugene High School
• Debut May 21, 1979
• Final Game September 22, 1981
• Born March 17, 1959 in Eugene, OR USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Light-hitting infielder Danny Ainge played in the majors from 1979 to 1981 before becoming more well known as a player and coach in the National Basketball Association.

Ainge grew up in Oregon and was a football, basketball, and baseball star at North Eugene High School. He began his pro baseball career after being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 1977 amateur draft. While in the Jays organization, he played college basketball at Brigham Young University in the winter. Ainge reached the majors in 1979 and played parts of three seasons in the bigs. Meanwhile, he averaged 24.4 points per game as senior at BYU, winning several prestigious national awards. The Blue Jays brought him up before he was ready and gave him a lot of playing time in spite of dubious production because they wanted to convince him to concentrate on baseball full-time. However, he became one of the top college basketball players in the nation during his time with the Blue Jays, and it was clear that he preferred basketball to baseball. After a protracted legal battle, his baseball contract was bought out by the Boston Celtics, allowing him to concentrate on his preferred sport. During his major league baseball career, Ainge primarily wore number 2.

Ainge played 13 seasons in the NBA and won two NBA Championships with the Celtics. He later coached the Phoenix Suns and became an NBA executive with the Celtics.

Notable Achievements

• 1979 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Related Sites

• Basketball-Reference page