Jazz hire away longtime Celtics exec Austin Ainge

The Utah Jazz hired longtime Boston Celtics executive Austin Ainge as their new president of basketball operations on Monday.
Ainge, 43, worked in the Boston front office for 17 years, most recently as an assistant general manager, and is the son of Jazz CEO and alternate governor Danny Ainge.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new President of Basketball Operations,” said Jazz governor Ryan Smith. “Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA — his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization. I’ve known Austin for 15 years, and I’ve watched him grow into an accomplished, innovative, and strategic basketball executive who’s ready to lead this organization.”
Justin Zanik will remain in his role as Utah’s general manager and will work together with Austin Ainge and head coach Will Hardy moving forward.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the bright future of this organization,” Austin Ainge said. “I look forward to partnering with Ryan and Ashley Smith and our other leaders within the Utah Jazz and will utilize my experience over the last 17 years building a championship-caliber organization. I have lived this my whole life, constantly studying teams, talent, chemistry and the selflessness necessary to win. I look forward to bringing that to Utah and am excited to give Jazz fans a lot to cheer about as we build our program back up.”
In his time with the Celtics, Austin Ainge also worked as director of scouting and player personnel and served as head coach of the NBA G League’s Maine Celtics (2009-11). His efforts helped Boston reach the Eastern Conference finals six times and capture the 2024 NBA championship.
“We are thrilled for Austin as he embarks on his new journey with the Jazz,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “He’s clearly ready for this next step, and I know how much he’s looking forward to leading a team. He’s obviously very bright and has experienced success as a player, coach and executive at various levels of the game. On top of that, he leaves no stone unturned — he’s a strategic thinker that’s motivated and is an extremely hard worker. We will miss him in Boston, but could not be happier for Austin and his family.”
Austin Ainge is already a familiar name for basketball fans in Utah. As a two-time team captain at BYU, he appeared in 101 games from 2003-07 and helped the Cougars win two Mountain West Conference titles and make three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
The Jazz finished with an NBA-worst and franchise-worst 17-65 record in 2024-25, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.