Danny Green (basketball)

Danny Green with the Cleveland Cavaliers in November 2009

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Green as the 46th overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. After he played in 20 games in his rookie year with the Cavaliers, the team waived Green at the beginning of the next season.[11]

Green was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs on November 17, 2010.[12] The Spurs waived him six days later after he appeared in two games.[13]

In January 2011, Green was acquired by the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. He averaged 20 points, a team high, and 7.5 rebounds in 16 games with the Bighorns.[14]

The Spurs signed Green again in March 2011,[15] assigned him to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League on April 2, and then recalled him on April 3.[16]

In August 2011, Green signed a one-year contract with KK Union Olimpija, which included an NBA-out clause option when the 2011 NBA lockout ended.[17]

Green returned to the Spurs after the lockout ended. Green had a breakout season, as he started 38 of his 66 games played, averaging 9.1 ppg. Green eventually became the starting shooting guard for the Spurs when Manu Ginóbili returned to being the sixth man in the rotation. Green finished ninth in the league in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.[18]

On July 11, 2012, Green re-signed with the Spurs for $12 million over three years.[19] In his first game of the season, he scored 9 points and added 2 blocks in San Antonio's win over the New Orleans Hornets. On November 1, 2012, he scored 13 points in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then on November 3, Green scored 21 points to help the Spurs beat the Utah Jazz in a 110–100 win.[20] On November 13, 2012, he hit a game-winner against the Los Angeles Lakers, finishing the game with 11 points. On February 6, 2013, Green recorded career highs of 28 points and 8 three-pointers made in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was one three-point field goal shy of Chuck Person's record for most three-pointers made in a single game as a Spur.[21]

In game 2 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Green was perfect from the field, including 5–5 from the three-point line. However, the Spurs lost in a blowout to the Miami Heat, 103–84.[22] In game 3 of the NBA Finals, Green hit 7–9 from three-point range, including the one to set a Finals record for most three-pointers in a game by a team. He notched 27 total points in the Spurs' blowout 113–77 victory as the team took a 2–1 series lead in the process.[23] On June 16 in game 5, Green made six three-pointers for a total of 25 in the series to that point, breaking the record for an NBA Finals series previously held by Ray Allen, who made 22 in six games with the Boston Celtics in 2008.[24] By the end of the series, Green had made 27 three-pointers, but the Spurs lost the series in seven games. The record was later broken by Stephen Curry in 2016.[25][26]

On April 11, 2014, Green scored a career-high 33 points in a 112–104 win over the Phoenix Suns.[27] On June 15, 2014, Green won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the 2014 NBA Finals. In doing so, Green joined Michael Jordan and James Worthy as the third Tar Heel to win both the NCAA and NBA championship.

On December 19, 2014, Green scored a season-high 27 points in the 119–129 triple overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[28] On April 12, 2015, Green recorded 3 three-pointers against the Phoenix Suns to set a franchise record for the most three-pointers in a season at 191.[29]

On July 14, 2015, Green re-signed with the Spurs[30] to a reported four-year, $45 million contract.[31] On January 6, 2016, Green hit two three-pointers against the Utah Jazz, giving him 662 with San Antonio to surpass Bruce Bowen (661) for second in franchise history.[32]

On November 9, 2016, Green made his season debut for San Antonio, scoring eight points against the Houston Rockets in his return from a strained left quadriceps.[33] At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.[34]

On December 28, 2017, against the New York Knicks, Green became the 127th player in league history to reach 900 career three-pointers.[35]

On July 18, 2018, Green and teammate Kawhi Leonard were traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.[36] On November 10, 2018, in a 128–112 win over the New York Knicks, Green reached 1,000 three-pointers for his career.[37] On December 14, he had 19 points and 11 rebounds while matching his season high with five three-pointers in a 128–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[38] On January 19, he had a season-high 24 points and set a franchise record for three-pointers in a quarter with seven in the third, as the Raptors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119–90. With 21 points in the third, he fell one shy of Kyle Lowry's franchise record for a quarter. Green also matched a career high with eight threes for the game.[39] On April 1, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 121–109 win over the Orlando Magic.[40] Green helped the Raptors reach the 2019 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games, with Green earning his second NBA championship.[41]

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Green to a two-year $30 million contract on July 6, 2019.[42] He debuted for the Lakers on October 22, 2019, where he led the team with 28 points in 32 minutes on 10-of-14 field goal makes and 7-of-9 three-point makes in a 112–102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. His 28 points are the most points in a debut in franchise history, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 27 points.[43]

Green contributed to the Lakers finishing as the top seed in the Western Conference in a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic that suspended the season for four months. The Lakers reached the 2020 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Miami Heat 4–2 to win the 2020 NBA championship.[44] Green and teammate LeBron James became the third and fourth players in league history to win a championship with three different teams, joining John Salley and Robert Horry.[45]

On November 18, 2020, Green, along with the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dennis Schröder.[46] On December 8, Green, Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Al Horford, the draft rights of Théo Maledon and Vasilije Micić, and a 2025 first-round pick.[47]

On August 7, 2021, Green re-signed with the 76ers on a two-year, $20 million contract.[48] On May 12, 2022, during game 6 of the 76ers' second-round series against the Miami Heat, Green suffered a left knee injury in a 99–90 loss, due to a collision with his teammate Joel Embiid. The next day, he was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral cruciate ligament (LCL) in his left knee.[49]

During the 2022 NBA draft, Green, along with the draft rights to David Roddy, were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De'Anthony Melton.[50][51] On February 1, 2023, Green made his Grizzlies debut, putting up three points in 10 minutes played in a 122–112 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[52]

On February 9, 2023, Green was traded to the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Clippers.[53] He and the Rockets agreed to a contract buyout three days later, and he was subsequently waived.[54]

On February 15, 2023, Green signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[55] He made his Cavaliers debut the same day, scoring three points in a 118–112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[56]

On September 13, 2023, Green signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.[57]

Green's brother, Rashad, played for Manhattan College in 2007–08 and the University of San Francisco from 2009 to 2012.[58] His younger brother, Devonte Green, played for Indiana University.[59] His second cousins are professional players Gerald Green and Garlon Green.[60] A first cousin, Jordan Green, played for Texas A&M University.[61] A third cousin, Willie Green, played for the University of Detroit Mercy and then in the NBA, He is now the head coach of New Orleans Pelicans.

In 2020, Green got engaged to his longtime girlfriend.[62] The two were married in 2021.[63]

In 2018, Green and longtime friend and sports broadcaster Harrison Sanford launched a podcast entitled "Inside the Green Room".[64] While they intended to start with a soft launch in the summer of 2018, Green was traded to the Toronto Raptors just prior to recording what was to be the pilot episode, so they decided to do a full launch with the first episode.[64] The podcast gained sponsorship from Yahoo Sports Canada.[65] Episodes have featured players and coaches from the Toronto Raptors, as well as players from other teams and other sports journalists. Green has expressed an interest in moving into sports broadcasting after his playing career is over.[64][66]