Oct 27, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge before a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Danny Ainge Makes Strong Statement on Utah Jazz's Austin Ainge Hire

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Utah Jazz made a major addition to their front office over the last week with the announcement of Austin Ainge becoming the franchise's newest president of basketball operations, coming aboard from the Boston Celtics following a decade-plus tenure with the team

And of course, if you were to ask Jazz CEO Danny Ainge's feelings on the team's latest front office acquisition, he's a big fan of the move.

During a recent interview on DJ and PK on the KSL Sports Zone, Ainge shared some of his thoughts on his son taking on the new gig with Utah, ultimately expressing a great deal of confidence that Austin is more than capable of making the next jump.

"I've worked in the NBA a long time, and Austin is– there's nobody I've enjoyed working with more. Not just because he's my son, but it is a unique relationship, and it does have its advantages," Ainge said. "We can knock down, drag out, fight, and go to dinner two minutes later. We can share our opinions, and we're free to do that with one another, and I think the relationship is very, very healthy for what the Jazz are trying to do. I thought that Ryan [Smith] made a great, great move in coming up with that idea [to hire Austin], and I couldn't agree with it more."

Austin was most recently the Celtics' assistant general manager for the past six years after being in the building as a scout since 2008, and now finds his way to a big-time leap in Utah, now running the ship for all of the Jazz's major basketball-related decisions, and potentially being a catalyst to get this rebuild on the right track after a rough 17-win campaign through the 2024-25 season.

And while many may believe Danny Ainge was the one to make the call to bring the team's new president on board, it was actually Jazz owner Ryan Smith to initially pitch the idea to Austin, as revealed during his opening presser with the team. In due time, Smith opted to make the hire, called Danny to fill him in on the move, and clearly, he was on board with that decision.

Now, the work will start pretty quickly for Austin, as the Jazz have a defining offseason ahead with major draft decisions and trade calls to be made. But in the mind of Danny Ainge, he's got the means to handle that weight on his shoulders.