What is Danny Ainge's Net Worth and Salary?
Danny Ainge is an American basketball executive and retired professional basketball and baseball player who has a net worth of $14 million. After spending three seasons in the MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays, Danny Ainge played for 14 seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Phoenix Suns. Following his playing career, Ainge coached the Suns for three seasons and served in executive positions for the Celtics for 18 seasons.
Salary
During his NBA career, Danny earned a total of $8.8 million in salary alone. His highest salary was the $2.08 million earned from the Phoenix Suns in 1994-1995, his final NBA season. After adjusting for inflation, earning $2 million in 1994 is the same as earning $4 million today. Danny's largest contract was a three-year, $5.2 million deal signed with the Suns in July 1992. He had been wanting to sign with the Portland Trailblazers so he could return to his home state, but the team did not make a move.
Danny went on to earn millions more as a coach and NBA executive.
Early Life and High School
Danny Ainge was born on March 17, 1959 in Eugene, Oregon. As a teenager at North Eugene High School, he was a star in basketball, baseball, and football, and led his school basketball team to consecutive AAA state titles in 1976 and 1977.
Collegiate Career
For college, Ainge played basketball with the Brigham Young University Cougars. During his four years there, he was an All-American, WAC Player of the Year, and four-time All-WAC selection. Ainge finished his senior year by winning the Eastman Award and the John R. Wooden Award, bestowed upon the best collegiate player in the country.
Toronto Blue Jays
Still in high school, Ainge was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut with the team as a college student in 1979. Ainge played mostly as a second baseman, but occasionally played third base and outfield positions. During his three seasons with the Blue Jays, he played 211 games, hitting .220 and scoring two home runs.
Boston Celtics, 1981-1989
Following his time in the MLB, Ainge decided to pursue a basketball career. A legal battle ensued after the 1981 NBA draft, with the Boston Celtics ultimately buying out Ainge's contract from the Blue Jays. Although he had a rocky start in the NBA, Ainge eventually found his footing, and in 1984 helped the Celtics win the NBA championship title over the Los Angeles Lakers. Ainge won another NBA championship in 1986 as part of a team considered one of the greatest in NBA history. In his final season with the Celtics in 1989, he shattered the single-season NBA record for three-pointers, his 148 completely trouncing Darrell Griffith's previous record of 92.
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Sacramento Kings
Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1989, and found himself a top player on a team with no superstars. During his half-season with the team, he averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game.
Portland Trail Blazers
In 1990, Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Fans of the team considered him a hometown favorite, as he was born in Oregon. In May of 1992, Ainge served an integral role in the highest-scoring NBA postseason game in history when he scored 25 points in a 155-153 double-overtime win against the Phoenix Suns. He and the Blazers advanced to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Chicago Bulls in six games.
Phoenix Suns, 1992-1995
Ainge became a free agent after the 1991-92 season, and on his first day of free agency signed with the Phoenix Suns. He helped lead the team to the 1993 NBA Finals, where the Chicago Bulls once again won in six games. Ainge recorded a career milestone the following year when he became only the second NBA player ever to make 900 three-pointers. He subsequently retired after the 1994-95 season.
Coaching and Management
Following his retirement from playing, Ainge became the head coach of the last team he had played for, the Suns. He served in that position from 1996 until his resignation in 1999. Later, in 2003, he was hired to be the executive director of basketball operations for the first team he played for, the Celtics. Ainge's executive tenure with the team was something of a rollercoaster, with the low point being the Celtic's abysmal 24-58 record in the 2006-07 season. However, he quickly turned things around by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, moves that launched the Celtics back to the top of the NBA. In the 2007-08 season, the team posted the season's best record, 66-16, which represented the biggest single-season improvement in league history. The Celtics went on to beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. For his accomplishments, Ainge won the NBA Executive of the Year Award. After 18 years with the team, he retired in 2021. He subsequently became an executive for the Utah Jazz.
Personal Life
With his wife Michelle, Ainge has six children named Ashlee, Austin, Tanner, Taylor, Cooper, and Crew. The couple resides in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Ainge and his family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Massachusetts Mansion
In 2003, around the time he was hired to be an executive for the Celtics, Danny and his wife paid $2.3 million for a 8,300 square foot home in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In June 2021, a few months after retiring from the Celtics, they listed the home for sale for $4.5 million. They ultimately accepted $3.425 million.
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