Danny Ainge on why it's more difficult to win a championship in the NBA than in any other professional league

danny-ainge

Danny Ainge was the mastermind of the 2008 Boston Celtics championship. He was the man who brought Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce together.

It was the trio that changed the NBA forever. After the Celtics won in 2008, teams and their general managers realized it was possible to sign three future Hall of Famers and surround them with a robust supporting cast.

Building a championship team

While Ainge made it look easy, he admits it was very difficult to assemble a revolutionary squad. He even believes winning a title in the NBA is harder than in any other professional sports league.

"The competition is getting harder in the NBA, certainly more than in Red [Auerbach's] day. General managers are better," Danny said, per Boston.com. "Teams all have a lot of money, there's financial equality, so there aren't as many deals to be had that are just financial."

"So with the health financially of the league, it's becoming more challenging, because the league requires, or at least appears to require, superstars to win championships," Ainge pointed out, noting that this has been the pattern over the last 40 years.

The former Celtics guard added that superstars like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and others are some of the hardest workers in NBA history. They do not rely on their God-given talents. Work ethic is even more important than skill.

"You can't have your best players be knuckleheads. You need your best players to be unified, understanding the needs of the team type of guys," Danny added.

Because the standards for star players are so high, the chances of getting one and luring him in become even more difficult. The fact that several teams hoard these types of players makes it nearly impossible.

2024 NBA Champions

Ainge left Boston in 2021 after 18 years as an executive. He took his talents to Utah, where he is building a contending team in the West.

Three years after Danny left, the Celtics won an NBA Championship. The team was led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, two players the C's acquired under Ainge. Brad Stevens, who replaced him as President of Basketball Operations, credited the former guard for jumpstarting the championship roster.

"First of all, we wouldn't be here if Danny didn't keep all of our everything stocked. If Danny doesn't do the trade and get Jaylen [Brown] and Jayson [Tatum], we're not in this position we're in. So he set us up in every way," Brad stated in an appearance on 'The Ryen Russillo Podcast.'

Time will only tell if Ainge can bring a championship to Utah, but fans need not worry. The man knows the recipe for victory.