Danny Ainge is among the players born on March 17.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.
Below are the most notable NBA players born on March 17.
Danny Ainge (1959)
Ainge is an NBA lifer because he’s still one of the best executives today after a brilliant playing career. This guard out of BYU was the 31st pick in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He played his first eight seasons in Beantown, making his only All-Star appearance in 1988. His contribution was more than accolades, with Ainge helping the Celtics win two titles along the way (1984, 1986).
Ainge joined the Sacramento Kings in 1989 and became one of the best bench players over the next seven seasons. He finished top 5 in Sixth Man of the Year voting twice over the next five seasons (1991, 1993), closing his career by playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns. He retired as a player in 1995 but took over as Boston’s President of Operations in 2003. Ainge has been famous for his blockbuster deals, acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in a trade that helped the Celtics win a title in 2008. He stepped down from that role in 2021 and now has the same role with the Utah Jazz.
Sam Bowie (1961)
Bowie was a special player at Kentucky University, earning him the second overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. The big man was one of the talented young centers in the NBA immediately out of college, averaging 10 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in a remarkable rookie campaign.
Bowie averaged a career-best 16 points per game in his third season in 1987 but was unable to play in 1988 due to injury. His final season in Portland was the following year, with Bowie joining the New Jersey Nets in 1990. He played the next four seasons with the Nets and his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1995. Throughout his 10-year career, Bowie averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
Want to see every NBA player born on March 17? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Pay Dunn (1931)
- Willie Somerset (1942)
- Bobby Croft (1946)
- Cylde Mayes (1953)
- Danny Ainge (1959)
- Sam Bowie (1961)
- Steve Bucknall (1966)
- Kyle Korver (1981)
- Cheis Copeland (1984)
- Jeremy Pargo (1986)
- Thomas Robinson (1991)
- Terry Rozier (1994)
- Johnny Juzang ( 2001)
- Dyson Daniels (2003)
