Johnny Green (basketball)

John Green
John Green
Born	John Michael Green; 8 December 1933 (age 92); Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	16 November 2023 (aged 89); Huntington, New York, U.S.
Other names	"Jumpin' Johnny"
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	1959–1973
Known for	NBA All-Star four times; Michigan State Spartans basketball player; Big Ten MVP (1958–59)

John Michael Green (December 8, 1933 – November 16, 2023), famously known as "Jumpin' Johnny", was a professional basketball athlete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from the United States. He competed in college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, where he received consensus second-team All-American distinctions. Green earned selection to the NBA All-Star game on four occasions.

Early life

Green was born in Dayton, Ohio on December 8, 1933, and attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Initially shorter than six feet and not participating in basketball, he held part-time jobs at a bowling alley, later working in construction and a junkyard before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. By age 20, while serving in the Marines, he had grown to 6-foot-5 and played basketball for his military base team.

Dick Evans, the football coach at the Marine base and an alumnus of Michigan State University, spotted Green's athletic talent and recommended him to MSU basketball coach Forddy Anderson. At 21 years old, Green visited Michigan State during a leave in October 1955.

College career

Following his discharge from military service, Green enrolled at Michigan State in 1955. He initially played on the freshman squad before becoming eligible for varsity competition in January 1957 at age 23.

During that season, Green appeared in 18 games as a power forward, setting a Michigan State record by averaging 14.6 rebounds per game while contributing to the Spartans' capture of the Big Ten championship. The team advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinals but was defeated in triple overtime by eventual champions North Carolina despite Green's impressive performance of 19 rebounds and eight blocks. The Spartans ended with a 16–10 record.

In the 1957–58 season, Green elevated his performance to average 17.8 rebounds and 18.0 points per game on a shooting percentage of 53.8%. His efforts earned him second-team All-American honors from NABC and The Sporting News, along with third-team recognition from AP, UPI, and Helms Foundation.

The following year, Green led Michigan State to another Big Ten title and a strong 19–4 record, narrowly missing qualification for the NCAA Final Four. He averaged 18.5 points and 16.6 rebounds per game, receiving first-team All-American honors from Helms and second-team nods from AP, UPI, NABC, and The Sporting News.

During his collegiate years, Green married and became a father to two sons in 1957.

His career average of 16.4 rebounds per game ranks third all-time in Big Ten history behind Jerry Lucas's 17.2. With fewer than three seasons played at Michigan State, he is third on the school's all-time rebounding list with 1,036 boards and scored a total of 1,062 points at an average of 16.9 points per game.

Green was selected three times for the first-team All-Big Ten and earned Big Ten MVP honors for the 1958–59 season.

Michigan State commemorates his legacy through an annual rebounding award; his jersey number 24 has been retired by the university, and he was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

Professional career

Green was selected as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1959 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

During his debut season in 1959–60, he averaged 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds over nearly 18 minutes per contest, setting a Knicks rookie record with 25 rebounds in a single outing. His playing time increased in the following 1960–61 season, where he posted averages of 10.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. As a regular starter in 1961–62, Green improved to 15.9 points per game and led the team by securing 1,066 rebounds, which earned him his initial NBA All-Star appearance. He also established a Knicks record with three consecutive games exceeding 20 rebounds.

In the 1962–63 season, Green achieved career-best averages of 18.1 points and 12.1 rebounds, once again topping the Knicks' charts and receiving his second All-Star selection. Although his numbers dipped slightly during the 1963–64 campaign, he maintained a solid average of 14.5 points and led the team in rebounding for a third consecutive year. During the 1964–65 season, he averaged 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds and secured his third All-Star honor.

On November 1, 1965, Green was traded alongside Johnny Egan, Jim Barnes, and cash considerations to the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for Walt Bellamy. That season, he averaged 11.6 points with 8.2 rebounds and shot an impressive .536 from the field, ranking second league-wide in field goal percentage. In the following year, 1966–67, Green assumed a reduced role with Baltimore, posting averages of 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Green was selected by the San Diego Rockets during the 1967 NBA expansion draft and appeared in 42 games averaging over 25 minutes each before being traded midseason to the Philadelphia 76ers. He completed that year with averages of 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds. The next season, at age 35, his performance declined to career lows of 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds before he was released.

In September 1969, Green rejuvenated his professional journey by signing with the Cincinnati Royals after requesting a tryout from coach Bob Cousy. He became a starter during the 1969–70 season, achieving averages of 15.6 points and 10.8 rebounds while leading the league in field goal percentage at .559. Late in that season, he scored a personal best of 32 points and averaged an impressive 23.5 points across his final seven games.

At age 37 in the 1970–71 season, Green once again topped the NBA in shooting efficiency with a .587 field goal percentage, contributed averages of 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, and earned his fourth All-Star selection. In December of that year, he recorded a career-high scoring output of 39 points during a double-overtime contest.

Despite turning 38 during the 1971–72 season, Green participated in all 82 games while averaging 9.8 points and pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game. The subsequent year saw the Royals relocate to become the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, where at age 39 he continued to contribute with averages of 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds before retiring from professional basketball.

Over his fourteen-year NBA tenure, Green amassed totals of 12,281 points and 9,083 rebounds, finishing with career averages of 11.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting .493 from the field.

After basketball

Following his basketball career, Green ventured into the restaurant business by owning one of the most prosperous McDonald's franchises globally located in Springfield Gardens, New York, near John F. Kennedy International Airport.

He lived in Dix Hills, New York, until his passing on November 16, 2023, at age 89 in a hospital situated in Huntington, New York.

NBA

Source

Regular season

Season	Franchise	Games Played	Games Started	Minutes Per Game	Field Goal %	Free Throw %	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Points Per Game
1959	New York Knicks	69		17.9	.447	.406	7.8	0.8	7.0
1960	New York Knicks	78		22.9	.430	.522	10.7	1.2	10.2
1961	New York Knicks	80*		34.9	.436	.601	13.3	2.4	15.9
1962	New York Knicks	80*		31.9	.462	.638	12.1	1.9	18.1
1963	New York Knicks	80		26.7	.470	.497	10.0	2.0	14.5
1964	New York Knicks	78		22.1	.469	.548	7.0	1.7	11.0
1965	New York Knicks	7		29.7	.544	.484	10.6	1.6	14.4
1965	Baltimore Bullets	72		20.0	.535	.524	7.9	1.3	11.3
1966	Baltimore Bullets	61		15.5	.465	.464	6.5	0.9	8.2
1967	San Diego Rockets	42		25.5	.458	.472	10.1	1.4	13.9
1967	Philadelphia 76ers	35		10.5	.460	.470	3.5	0.6	5.1
1968	Philadelphia 76ers	74		10.7	.518	.456	4.5	0.6	4.7
1969	Cincinnati Royals	78		29.2	.559*	.592	10.8	1.4	15.6
1970	Cincinnati Royals	75		28.6	.587*	.617	8.7	1.2	16.7
1971	Cincinnati Royals	82		23.3	.569	.564	6.8	1.5	9.8
1972	Kansas City–Omaha Kings	66		18.9	.599	.679	5.5	0.9	7.1
Total NBA Career		1,057		23.3	.493	.553	8.6	1.4	11.6
NBA All-Star Appearances		4	0	18.0	.684	.750	2.3	0	8.0

Playoffs

Season	Franchise	Games Played	Minutes Per Game	Field Goal %	Free Throw %	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Points Per Game
1966 NBA playoffs	1965–66 Baltimore Bullets season	3	32.0	.588	.125	9.0	1.3	13.7
1968 NBA playoffs	1967–68 Philadelphia 76ers season	12	18.3	.585	.465	5.5	0.7	8.0
1969 NBA playoffs	1968–69 Philadelphia 76ers season	5	8.8	.563	.556	2..8	0..2	4..6
style=text-align:center colspan=2 career	20	18..0	..583	..433	5..4	..7	8..0

External links

Professional statistics at basketball-reference.com