Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Austin Ainge appointed as Utah Jazz president, reporting to owner Ryan Smith.
- Ainge, son of Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, has extensive basketball executive experience.
- Smith emphasizes teamwork; Ainge aims to lead Jazz back to playoff contention.
SALT LAKE CITY — All around the NBA — and in most every profession, actually — nepotism abounds in one form or another within individual franchises and programs.
Look no further than the recent coaching situation with the Denver Nuggets, who removed the interim tag from David Adleman in naming him the head coach two weeks ago.
His entry into the NBA came in 2011 when his father, Rick, was the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and hired the younger Adleman as a player development coach.
David Adleman served as a Nuggets assistant before being elevated when Michael Malone was fired in April. Malone, who coached Denver to the NBA championship two years ago, is the son of former NBA head coach Brendan Malone.
So it goes in the world of college and professional sports, especially if the son was not good enough to make it as a player. Lucrative jobs are worth keeping in the family or at least close associates.
This is not meant to say or imply that these second-generation benefactors are not qualified to attain their positions, but family connections obviously make the path to get in much easier.
Think of it in the same manner as team ownership passing the mantle to younger family members. These types of transactions barely register on the radar anymore.
The Utah Jazz are no strangers to such situations over the years throughout the organization on the business and basketball sides. Frank Layden's decision to hire his son, Scott, is the most well-known — until now.
Owner Ryan Smith created, at minimum, a mild stir across the NBA by tapping into the Ainge pipeline in hiring Danny's son, Austin, to become president of basketball operations. Smith made it clear the younger Ainge will report to him, ahead of his father and general manager Justin Zanik.
Danny Ainge, who built the Boston Celtics into a championship team as the lead executive, has been serving as the Jazz CEO for nearly the last four years. Zanik will remain in his current role, below at least one Ainge, if not both.
"Another bright, brilliant executive that we're bringing to the state and run our basketball program," Smith said during Monday's press conference introducing the dramatic organizational change.
Smith added: "Ultimately, this is Austin's show and we're all part of it. We're truly working as a team."
In addition to the family connection, both Ainge men share deep ties to BYU with Smith. Danny was a star basketball player for the Cougars some 45 years ago and remains close to the program.
Austin was a point guard for Steve Cleveland and Dave Rose in the 2000s. Smith, a BYU graduate, wields a strong influence over the school's athletic programs, even if he tries to downplay it.
At 43, Austin Ainge has the noteworthy last name but also possesses the credentials to deserve his new position. His experience includes serving as Roger Reid's assistant at Southern Utah and as the head coach in the NBA's development league along working as an executive for the Celtics since 2011.
With an eye toward becoming the lead executive for an NBA team, Ainge has interviewed for leadership positions in recent years. He jumped at the chance to lead the Jazz back into playoff contention.
"I've worked for a lot of years to have the opportunity to lead a team," he said. "This was kind of the next evolution for me in my career."
Soon after Monday's announcement, several of Ainge's coaches and teammates praised the hire through social media posts and interviews. They can speak to his basketball acumen dating back to his time at BYU as can the local beat writers who covered the Cougars back then.
"We were teammates at BYU," former player Travis Hansen posted, "and I've watched him grind, lead, and thrive in every role since. Utah's getting a smart, humble, high-character winner."
