Danny Green (basketball)
Danny Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel Richard Green Jr. June 22, 1987 |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2009–2023 |
| Known for | NBA championships with San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers |
| Notable work | NCAA champion (2009), NBA champion (2014, 2019, 2020) |
Daniel Richard Green Jr. (born June 22, 1987) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who competed in the NBA representing six different franchises. By 2025, Green had joined an elite group of four players who have secured NBA championships with three distinct teams: the San Antonio Spurs (2014), Toronto Raptors (2019), and Los Angeles Lakers (2020).
Green's collegiate basketball tenure was at the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 2005 through 2009, where he appeared in a record-setting 145 games for the school and contributed to 123 victories. He achieved an NCAA title during his final year in 2009.
Chosen as the 46th pick overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 NBA draft, Green was released and went on to play for the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns, and Slovenia’s KK Olimpija. He secured a starting role as a guard with the Spurs beginning in the 2011–12 season and remained with them until 2018. During the 2013 NBA Finals, Green set a record by making 23 three-pointers in a Finals series and earned his first NBA championship with San Antonio in 2014. He is one of only three UNC alumni—alongside James Worthy and Michael Jordan—to win both NCAA and NBA titles. Renowned for his defensive prowess on the perimeter, Green was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 2016–17 campaign. He later added championships with the Raptors in 2019 and Lakers in 2020, also spending time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies.
High school career
Green began his high school journey at North Babylon High School in North Babylon, New York, where he played basketball and served as quarterback on the football team during his freshman year. Starting his sophomore year, he transferred to St. Mary's High School located in Manhasset, New York. As a senior, he posted averages of 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks per game. Rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Green was ranked as the No. 8 shooting guard and No. 31 overall player nationally in the class of 2005.
College career
During his freshman season at UNC, Green primarily contributed off the bench as the sixth man, increasing his output to an average of 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds by his sophomore year. Although he contemplated transferring after his second year, he ultimately chose to stay at North Carolina.
In his junior season, Green improved his performance significantly, averaging 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while enhancing his shooting efficiency: 46.9% field goal percentage, an impressive 87.3% from free throws, and a three-point shooting rate of 37.3%.
Prior to his senior year, Green declared for the 2008 NBA draft but retained eligibility by not hiring an agent, deciding to return to UNC for his final collegiate season. Serving as team captain alongside Bobby Frasor and Tyler Hansbrough, he started every contest as UNC captured their fifth national championship in 2009. That year, he averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47.1% from the field and an efficient 41.8% from beyond the arc.
Green received All-ACC third team recognition as well as All-Defensive Team honors that season. Concluding his college career with a total of 1,368 points scored, he also set UNC records for most wins (123) and most games played (145). As of 2009, he stood alone in ACC history as the only player to accumulate at least 1,000 points, along with minimums of 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers made, plus both 150 blocks and steals each during their college tenure.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010)
Green was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 46th pick in the 2009 NBA draft. He participated in 20 games during his rookie year before being released by the Cavaliers at the beginning of the next season.
San Antonio Spurs (2010)
On November 17, 2010, Green signed with the San Antonio Spurs, but after appearing in just two games, he was waived six days later.
Reno Bighorns (2011)
In January 2011, Green joined the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League, where he led the team by averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds across 16 contests.
Return to San Antonio (2011)
The Spurs brought Green back in March 2011, briefly assigning him to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, before recalling him after one day.
Olimpija (2011)
In August 2011, Green signed a one-year deal with KK Union Olimpija, which included an NBA-out clause allowing him to return following the 2011 NBA lockout.
2011–13: Playoff upsets
After the lockout ended in 2011, Green rejoined San Antonio and had a breakout season in 2011–12, starting 38 of 66 games and averaging 9.1 points per game. He secured the starting shooting guard role as Manu Ginóbili transitioned to a sixth-man position and finished ninth in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
On July 11, 2012, Green inked a three-year contract worth $12 million with the Spurs. Early in that season, he delivered crucial performances, including scoring 13 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder and hitting a game-winning shot versus the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 6, 2013, he set personal bests with 28 points and eight made three-pointers in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, narrowly missing the franchise’s single-game record.
During the 2013 NBA Finals, Green excelled from long range—going perfect on three-point attempts in Game 2 despite a loss. In Game 3, he connected on seven of nine three-pointers, helping San Antonio establish an NBA Finals record for most threes made in a single game and secure a decisive win. By Game 5, Green surpassed Ray Allen’s NBA Finals series record with 25 made triples. He concluded the series with a total of 27 three-pointers, although the Spurs ultimately fell in seven games. This record was later broken by Stephen Curry during the 2016 Finals.
2013–18: First championship and final years with Spurs
On April 11, 2014, Green achieved a career-high scoring output with 33 points in a 112–104 victory over the Phoenix Suns. He earned his first NBA championship on June 15, 2014, as the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat four games to one in the 2014 NBA Finals, becoming only the third Tar Heel alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy to claim both NCAA and NBA titles.
Green posted a season-high of 27 points on December 19, 2014, during a triple-overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On April 12, 2015, he set a new franchise record for San Antonio by making 191 three-pointers in one season.
He re-signed with San Antonio on July 14, 2015, agreeing to a reported four-year deal worth $45 million. By January 6, 2016, Green had moved past Bruce Bowen into second place on the franchise’s all-time three-point list with 662 made shots.
After recovering from a quadriceps injury and returning on November 9, 2016, Green scored eight points against the Houston Rockets. His defensive efforts earned him a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team at season’s end.
On December 28, 2017, during a game versus the New York Knicks, Green became only the 127th player in NBA history to reach the milestone of 900 career three-pointers.
Toronto Raptors (2018–2019)
On July 18, 2018, Green, along with teammate Kawhi Leonard, was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl, and a protected first-round pick in the 2019 draft. During a November 10, 2018 game against the New York Knicks, Green surpassed 1,000 career three-pointers in a 128–112 victory. On December 14, he recorded 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five three-pointers despite a 128–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Green set a franchise milestone on January 19 by sinking seven three-pointers in a single quarter and posted a season-best 24 points as the Raptors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 119–90. He tied his personal record by making eight three-pointers that game. On April 1, he achieved a season-high of 29 points during a 121–109 win over the Orlando Magic. Green played a pivotal role in guiding Toronto to the 2019 NBA Finals, where they triumphed over the Golden State Warriors in six games, securing his second NBA championship ring.
Los Angeles Lakers (2019–2020)
Green signed a two-year deal worth $30 million with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 6, 2019. He made his debut on October 22 by leading the team with an efficient 28-point performance in a 112–102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, setting a franchise record for most points scored in a debut and surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Throughout a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Green contributed significantly as the Lakers clinched the top seed in the Western Conference. The team progressed to the 2020 NBA Finals and defeated the Miami Heat 4–2 to win the championship. Green and teammate LeBron James joined an elite group as only the third and fourth players in NBA history to win titles with three different franchises, alongside legends like John Salley and Robert Horry.
Philadelphia 76ers (2020–2022)
On November 18, 2020, Green was traded along with draft rights to Jaden McDaniels to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dennis Schröder. Shortly after, on December 8, Green was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier in return for Al Horford, draft rights to Théo Maledon and Vasilije Micić, plus a first-round pick in 2025. On August 7, 2021, Green extended his tenure with Philadelphia by signing a two-year contract valued at $20 million. During Game 6 of the second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat on May 12, 2022, Green suffered a left knee injury following contact with teammate Joel Embiid. The injury was diagnosed as torn ACL and LCL ligaments, prematurely ending his season.
Memphis Grizzlies (2022–2023)
In the course of the 2022 NBA draft, Green and draft rights to David Roddy were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De'Anthony Melton. Green made his Memphis debut on February 1, 2023, contributing three points over ten minutes in a 122–112 defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Return to Cleveland (2023)
On February 9, 2023, Green was involved in a three-team trade sending him to the Houston Rockets, with participation from the Los Angeles Clippers. After agreeing to a contract buyout with Houston three days later, he was waived by the Rockets. Subsequently, on February 15, 2023, Green signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making his debut that same day by scoring three points in a 118–112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Return to 76ers (2023)
On September 13, 2023, Green inked a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the team released him on November 1. Subsequently, on October 10, 2024, Green declared his retirement from professional basketball.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 20 || 0 || 5.8 || .385 || .273 || .667 || .9 || .3 || .3 || .2 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 8 || 0 || 11.5 || .486 || .368 || — || 1.9 || .3 || .3 || .1 || 5.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | style="background:#cfecec;"|66* || 38 || 23.1 || .442 || .436 || .790 || 3.5 || 1.3 || .9 || .7 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 80 || 80 || 27.5 || .448 || .429 || .848 || 3.1 || 1.8 || 1.2 || .7 || 10.5 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 68 || 59 || 24.3 || .432 || .415 || .794 || 3.4 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .9 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 81 || 80 || 28.5 || .436 || .418 || .874 || 4.2 || 2.0 || 1.2 || 1.1|| 11.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio |79||79||26.1||.376||.332||.739||3.8||1.8||1.0||.8||7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio |68||68||26.6||.392||.379||.844||3.3||1.8||1.0||.9||7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" |
|style="text-align:left;" |San Antonio |70||60||25.6||.387||.363||.769||3.6||1.6||.9||1.1||8.6 |- |style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;" | |style="text-align:left;" |Toronto |80||80||27.7||.465||.455||.841||4.0||1.6||.9||.7||10.3 |- |style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;" | |style="text-align:left;" |L.A. Lakers |68||68||24.8||.416||.367||.688||3.3||1.3|||1.3||.5||8 |- |style="text-align:left;" | |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |69||69||28||||412||||405||||775||||3-8||||17||||13'|||08||||95
|-
|style="text-align:left;" | |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |62|||28|||21-8|||394|||380|||786|||25|||10|||10|||06|||59 |- |style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2> |style="text-align:left;" |Memphis |03|||00|||14-3|||273|||375|||—|||13|||07|||03|||00|||30
|-
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"|2011 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 4 || 0 || 1.8 || .333 || .250 || || .3 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2012 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 14 || 12 || 20.6 || .418 || .345 || .700 || 3.2 || 1.1 || .5 || .7 || 7.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2013 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 21 || 21 || 31.9 || .446 || .482 || .800 || 4.1 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 1.1 || 11.1 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|2014† | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 23 || 23 || 23.0 || .491 || .475 || .818 || 3.0 || .9 || 1.4 || .7 || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2015 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 7 || 7 || 29.1 || .344 || .300 || .667 || 3.1 || 2.1 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 8.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2016 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 10 || 10 || 26.7 || .462 || .500 || .667 || 3.1 || .7 || 2.1 || .8 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2017 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 16 || 16 || 27.2 || .405 || .342 || .571 || 3.6 || 1.4 || .6 || .9 || 7.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2018 | style="text-align:left;"|San Antonio | 5 || 5 || 20.6|| .267|| .250|| |2.2|| .2|| .2|| .8||4.2 |-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;" | 2019† | style="text-align:left;" | Toronto | 24|| 24||28.5|| .342|| .328|| .913||3.6||1.1||1.3||.5||6.9 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;" | 2020† | style="text-align:left;" | L.A. Lakers |21||21||25.0||.347||.339||.667||3.1||1.2||1.0||.8||8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2021 | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |8||8||24.9||.438||.378||—||2.6||2.6||1.1||1.0||7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2022 | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |12||12||26.6||.404||.408||.000||3..1|| .8||1..0|| .3||8..6 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2023 | style="text-align:left;" | Cleveland |4||0||9..9|| .200|| .250||||1..8|| .3|| .5|| .3||0..8
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" |Career |169||159||25..3|||404|||388|||745|||3..2|||1..2|||1..0|||0..7|||7..9
College
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | style="text-align:left;" | 2005–06 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team |31|||0|||15..3|||433|||355|||792|||3..7|||1..1|||0..7|||1..0|||7..5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | style="text-align:left;" | 2006–07 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team |37|||0|||13..6|||411|||296|||848|||2..8|||1..1|||0..6|||0..7|||5..2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | style="text-align:left;" | 2007–08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team | 39||||1||||22..3||||469||||373||||.873||||'4..9'||||2..0||||'1..2'||||'1..2'||||11..5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | style="text-align:left;" | 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team |38||||38||||27..4||||471||||418||||852||||4..7||||2..7||||1..8||||1..3||||13..1
|- class="sortbottom" |"Career"|" "| |"145"|"39"|"19..9"|"455"|"375"|"845"|"4..1"|"1..8"|"1..1"|"1..1"|"9..4"
Family
Rashad, Green's brother, competed collegiately at Manhattan College during the 2007–08 season and later at the University of San Francisco from 2009 to 2012. His younger sibling, Devonte Green, represented Indiana University on the basketball court. Among his extended family are professional athletes Gerald Green and Garlon Green, who are his second cousins. Additionally, his first cousin Jordan Green played basketball for Texas A&M University. A third cousin, Willie Green, not only played in the NBA but currently serves as head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 2020, Green became engaged to Blair Bashen, his longtime partner, with their marriage taking place in 2021.
Podcast
Green teamed up with sports commentator Harrison Sanford in 2018 to create the podcast Inside the Green Room. Although originally intended as a soft introduction, Green’s trade to the Toronto Raptors accelerated its full launch with the debut episode. The podcast, sponsored by Yahoo Sports Canada, features interviews with Raptors players and coaches, athletes from other teams, and sports media professionals. Green has indicated plans to explore a career in sports broadcasting after retiring from professional play.