Ainge, the former BYU guard, is back in the Beehive State as the newly hired president of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz, the team announced Tuesday.

Ainge will lead the Jazz front office, team owner Ryan Smith said in a press conference Tuesday. While his well-known father, Danny, remains as the team’s CEO and Justin Zanik as general manager, it will be the younger Ainge, 43, steering the ship.

“Austin will be running the program,” Smith said, according to a KSL report. “He’s got final recommendation to myself on any decisions that need to be made.”

The younger Ainge played 101 games at BYU from 2003-07. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.4 assists per game as a senior for a team that finished ranked No. 24. He coached for one season at Southern Utah before latching on with the Boston Celtics where Danny was in the front office.

Ainge was head coach of the D-League’s Maine Red Claws (2009-11) for two seasons before becoming the Celtics’ director of player personnel (2011-19) and assistant general manager (2019-25).

Austin Ainge steps into a previously vacant role with the Jazz. When Danny Ainge, 66, left the Celtics as president of basketball operations, he joined the Jazz as “CEO” of operations.

“We’re supposed to be everywhere at once. I mean, we’re supposed to be here watching our team, while also watching tournaments that are going on in the Big East and the Big 12, plus overseas,” Smith said, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. “I think Justin and Danny have operated probably about as lean as any team in the NBA.”

Austin Ainge has been primarily in scouting roles while Zanik has worked in player management, so Smith said he sees the two working well together.

“I have lived this my whole life, constantly studying teams, talent, chemistry and the selflessness necessary to win,” Austin Ainge said in a statement. “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.”