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Former BYU great Danny Ainge will be inducted into the 2026 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. July 13, 2026. (Courtesy BYU)

Courtesy BYU

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FILE - Boston Celtics basketball general manager Danny Ainge speaks during a news conference in Boston, in this Monday, June 24, 2019, file photo. The Boston Celtics are beginning their offseason with a shakeup of the front office and coaching staff, with team president Danny Ainge stepping down and coach Brad Stevens moving into the front office, a person with direct knowledge of the moves said Wednesday, June 2, 2021.

Elise Amendola

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Currently working as president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge lived in Provo while playing basketball for BYU. Ainge played 14 seasons in the NBA. 

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FILE - In this June 23, 2017, file photo, Boston Celtics team president Danny Ainge speaks at the team's practice facility in Waltham, Mass. The Celtics said that Ainge suffered a mild heart attack Tuesday night, April 30, 2019, in Milwaukee, where the team played the Bucks in the second round of the NBA playoffs. The team said he received immediate medical attention and is expected to make a full recovery. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Charles Krupa, Associated Press

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PROVO, Utah – Former BYU men’s basketball great Danny Ainge will be inducted into the Naismith Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 22, at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Mo.

Ainge is joined in the Class of 2026 by Jay Wright, Tubby Smith, Ted Owens, Glen Rice and the late Walt Hazzard.

“The Class of 2026 represents the very best of college basketball-individuals whose performance, leadership and impact helped shape the game at the highest level,” said Kevin Henderson, CEO of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. “Their legacies will forever be preserved as part of the sport’s rich history.”

Before being selected by the Boston Celtics with the 31st pick in the 1981 NBA Draft, Ainge was a John Wooden Award winner, consensus First Team All-American, two-time First Team Academic All-American and WAC Player of the Year during his four-year career at BYU.

He is one of six players in program history to score over 2,000 points, with his 2,467 points putting him third on the all-time list behind Tyler Haws and Jimmer Fredette. He still holds program records for career field goals made (987) and consecutive double-figure scoring games (112) while ranking second in points per game (20.91), field goal attempts (1,875) and double-figure scoring games (117).

Ainge beat out Indiana’s Isiah Thomas, Kentucky’s Sam Bowie and Virginia’s Ralph Sampson to win the John Wooden Award in 1980-81. He averaged 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the field.

The Eugene, Ore. native led the Cougars to their only Elite 8 appearance in program history as a senior with wins over Princeton, UCLA and Notre Dame. His 37 points in a 78-55 win over UCLA in the second round are still tied for the most points scored by a BYU player in an NCAA Tournament game. He followed that up with 12 points in a 51-50 win over the Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16, including going coast-to-coast in the final seconds to score the game-winning layup.

He averaged 19.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game as a junior after appearing in 27 games as a sophomore where he shot 54.8 percent from the field and 76.8 percent from the free throw line.

Ainge had one of the most prolific freshman seasons in program history as the former three-sport All-American in high school averaged 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Prior to the 2025-26 season, he held 15 freshman single-season records, nine of which were broken by Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year AJ Dybantsa.