NBA
Jazz hire Boston’s Austin Ainge as new president of basketball operations
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated03 Jun 2025
Austin Ainge is not only a former basketball player, but he is also the son of team CEO and alternate governor Danny Ainge. He also used to be a part of the Celtics organization until this week, as the Jazz have recently hired him as the club’s new president of basketball operations.
Justin Zanik, who serves as Utah‘s general manager, has decided he will remain in his role now that there is a new president in town, along with governor Ryan Smith, who told the press that he expects the new hire to complement each other with a “separate and unique skill sets to help elevate our departments.”
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations,” he released in a team statement. “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.”
Smith then explained what made him want to pursue Austin for the job. “… I’ve watched him grow into an accomplished, innovative and strategic basketball executive who’s ready to lead this organization,” he expressed this Monday morning.
The Jazz have been making important moves in the past several weeks, as the franchise also secured coach Will Hardy to a long-term contract extension that will run through 2031. Ainge, on the other hand, had worked alongside his own father for 10 years in Boston, and will now reunite with him in Utah.
“It’s go time for us: Will [Hardy] is locked in long term and I’ve known Austin for a really long time, and he’s the next, young executive stud,” the club’s governor told the press. “He wasn’t going to be available much longer. It’s good timing on all parts.”
Smith assured that this hiring was an informed decision: “As I look out into the future, there’s no one I would rather have run this organization than Austin. His pedigree, his knowledge and his talent evaluation shined through, working with DA for so long and having the trust of Brad [Stevens] all of these years.”
