Ainge heart attack shocks friends, family

Danny Ainge, considered by many to be the greatest athlete ever to play at

Brigham Young University, woke up Thursday, April 16, with chest pains. Ainge, the current

general manager of the Boston Celtics, remains hospitalized Friday, April 17,  after

undergoing a procedure to unclog an artery.

News that Ainge, age 50, had suffered a mild heart attack came as a shock to

those who've known him since his college days at BYU and 14 seasons as a player

in the NBA.

"It just shows how fragile life can be," said Gifford Nielsen, who hosted

Ainge just over a week ago in Houston and is also a member of BYU's Athletic

Hall of Fame. Both have had their college numbers retired.

"Just 10 days ago, Danny and I were sitting in Minute-Maid Park watching the

Astros open the season against the Cubs. He was in a great mood and enjoying a

break. He'd come down to play in my golf tournament after the Shell Houston

Open," said Nielsen, who retired the week before at age 54.

"Danny hit the ball as well as he ever has," said Provo's Bob Oldroyd, a

member of Riverside Country Club, who flew to Houston to play in the tournament.

"He just had a birthday a couple of weeks ago."

Oldroyd, a member of Ainge's inner circle back in college, said he'd talked

to Austin Ainge, Danny's oldest son, who said his father was fine and joked at

the hospital, "The KG (Kevin Garnett) injury is what did it."

The Celtics are scheduled to begin the NBA playoffs on Saturday against the

Chicago Bulls. Earlier Thursday, the Celtics said Garnett was unlikely to return

from a knee injury to play in the postseason — a potentially devastating blow to

their hopes of a repeat championship.