Today in Boston Celtics history: Danny Ainge hired as GM, Marcus Webb born

Today in Boston Celtics history, former Danny Ainge was hired by the storied franchise in 2003 to his latter role as team president. He succeeded former Celtics general manager Chris Wallace, the prior President of Basketball Operations, who had held the position since taking over the job from infamous Celtics president Rick Pitino in 2001. Ainge had a successful tenure as President of Basketball Operations, winning a title in the 2007-08 NBA season, and making an NBA Finals appearance two seasons later in 2010.

His ability to seemingly always get the best of a deal has earned him the moniker “Trader Danny”, ranging from acquiring the contracts of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to forge the team that won Banner 17. Perhaps his best-known trade was moving Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 which netted what would prove to be one of the most uneven returns in league history. Ainge would step down as team president in the 2021 offseason after several tough seasons in terms of both an ongoing pandemic and personal health, having suffered a heart attack two years earlier.

He has since found a similar position (if lighter load) working with the Utah Jazz . Birthdays It is also former Celtic big man Marcus Webb’s birthday, who was born in 1970 on this date in Montgomery, Alabama. Webb came to the Celtics as an undrafted player out of Alabama and played nine games for the team in the 1992-93 NBA season after signing as a free agent in the summer of 1992.

He averaged 4. 3 points and 1. 1 rebounds while with the team.