During his playing days, Boston Celtics legend Danny Ainge only hung out with an opponent once. It was a golf game with none other than Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan himself — who is also an avid golf player like Ainge.
Ainge, who currently serves as the general manager and President of Basketball Operations for the Celtics, joined NBC Sports Boston's Brian Scalabrine for an interview. One of the things they talked about was the time when Ainge went golfing with Jordan, ahead of the Celtics-Bulls first-round playoff series in 1986.
“This is the only time ever in my entire career that I had dinner, lunch did anything with an opponent,” Ainge said of the meeting with Jordan, as transcribed by Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports. “But with Michael, Michael loved golf and I loved golf and Michael reached out and wanted to know where he could find a golf course and maybe get on a golf course to play in Boston on their two off days. So, I think we arranged to play 36 at Framingham Country Club.”
⛳️ Danny Ainge talks about the time he went golfing with Michael Jordan
Relive Celtics vs. Bulls, Game 2 of the 1986 Eastern Conference First Round with us and hear more from @scalabrine and @danielrainge!
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Danny Ainge and the Celtics easily swept Michael Jordan and the Bulls and went on to win the title. But in the series, Jordan averaged a whopping 43.7 points per game. This included a 63-point outburst in Game 2, which, up to now, still stands as the most points scored in a playoff game.
It should be noted that Jordan was just in his second year in the league during that time. He also missed the majority of the regular season due to a broken foot.
Be as it may, Ainge's story about Jordan is a stuff made out of legends.
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