Celtics hire former Harvard great Allison Feaster to front office

Allison Feaster was a star at Harvard and played 10 seasons in the WNBA.file/jonathan wiggs/Globe staff

The Celtics hired Harvard graduate and former WNBA player Allison Feaster as their director of player development, the team confirmed Friday evening.

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge acknowledged the news during an event hosted at WBUR CitySpace.

“[Coach] Brad [Stevens] and I have talked a lot about this, and [assistant general manager] Mike [Zarren] and I have talked a lot about it,” Ainge said. “I believe that women bring a different perspective in any sort of business.”

Prior to joining Boston’s staff, Feaster, 43, was the manager of player personnel and coach relations in the G-League.

A South Carolina native, Feaster graduated from Harvard in 1998 with a degree in Economics. She earned first-team All-Ivy League honors each of her four years on the women’s basketball team. Feaster was selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 1998 WNBA Draft. After 10 seasons, she continued her career overseas, most recently in Spain, before retiring from basketball in 2016.

In July, the Celtics also hired Kara Lawson as an assistant coach.

“These two women that we brought in are very, very well-educated, experienced in the world of basketball, and I think they’re going to bring great perspective to our coaching staff and our entire organization,” Ainge said. “I’ve already seen it.”