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MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald SUU's assistant coach Austin Ainge talks to a player during their game against BYU Friday, Dec. 21, 2007.

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Brigham Young guard Austin Ainge (13) holds the Mountain West trophy over his head as the team celebrates its win over Utah in a basketball game Saturday, March 3, 2007, in Provo, Utah. BYU beat Utah 85-62. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

Douglas C. Pizac

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Austin Ainge may be following in his father’s footsteps, but his path has distinctly been his own.

Austin Ainge, like his father Danny, is a former BYU basketball player who has chosen a path as an administrator in professional basketball. On Monday, the Utah Jazz named the younger Ainge its new president of basketball operations.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations,” Jazz co-owner Ryan Smith said in a 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.

“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.”

Austin Ainge played at BYU from 2002 to 2007, a two-time team captain who led the Cougars to a pair of Mountain West Conference championships and three NCAA Tournaments. He was named honorable mention all-conference twice and led the MWC in 3-point percentage in 2006-07 (52.5%).

While his father was a scorer and named the NCAA Player of the Year in 1981, Austin Ainge was more of a facilitator (335 career assists) and a 3-point sniper.

Two years later, after working with former BYU head coach Roger Reid at Southern Utah, he was named the first head coach of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Developmental League. In 2011, Austin Ainge took a new job with the Boston Celtics as the Director of Player Personnel and also performed scouting duties for the franchise. He’s spent the past six seasons as an assistant general manager for the Celtics.

Now he joins he father, who was hired as the CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor of the Utah Jazz in 2021. The franchise has spent the past several seasons developing young players and loading up on draft picks to build a winner.

Austin Ainge also released a statement: “This is an incredible opportunity to lead Utah Jazz basketball operations. I couldn’t be more excited about the bright future of this organization. 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.”

ESPN reports that Utah’s general manager, Justin Zanik, will remain in his role after Ainge’s arrival, with Smith telling ESPN that he envisions the two complementing each other in the day-to-day front office operations, with “separate and unique skill sets to help elevate our departments.”

Last month, the Jazz locked up coach Will Hardy to a long-term contract extension that runs through 2031.

Utah finished 17-65 last season (last in the Western Conference) and has the No. 5 and No. 21 picks in the NBA Draft, which will be held June 25 at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.