Danny Green (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Danny Green

Green with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023
Personal information
Born	(1987-06-22) June 22, 1987 (age 37) North Babylon, New York, U.S.
High school	North Babylon (North Babylon, New York) St. Mary's (Manhasset, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	North Carolina (2005–2009)
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career	2009–2023
Career history
2009–2010	Cleveland Cavaliers
2010	→Erie BayHawks
2010	San Antonio Spurs
2011	Reno Bighorns
2011–2018	San Antonio Spurs
2011	→Austin Toros
2011	Union Olimpija
2018–2019	Toronto Raptors
2019–2020	Los Angeles Lakers
2020–2022	Philadelphia 76ers
2022–2023	Memphis Grizzlies
2023	Cleveland Cavaliers
2023	Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
3× NBA champion (2014, 2019, 2020) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2017) Slovenian Cup champion (2011) NCAA champion (2009) Third-team All-ACC (2009) ACC All-Defensive Team (2009) McDonald's All-American (2005) Second-team Parade All-American (2005)

Daniel Richard Green Jr. (born June 22, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for six different teams during his career in the NBA. Danny Green is one of only four players in history to win NBA championships with three different teams. He won titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Green played college basketball at the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 2005 to 2009. He played in more games (145) and had more wins (123) than any player from UNC before him. In 2009, during his final year at UNC, Green won an NCAA championship.

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Green as the 46th player in the 2009 NBA draft. After leaving the Cavaliers, Green played for the San Antonio Spurs and other teams. He also played for the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Developmental League and KK Olimpija in Slovenia. Green became a starting player for the Spurs in the 2011–2012 season. He stayed with the Spurs until 2018. During the 2013 NBA Finals, Green set an NBA record for making the most three-point field goals in a Finals series (23). He then won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Green is one of only three players from UNC to win both an NCAA championship and an NBA championship. The other two are James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Green was known for his strong defense, especially around the three-point line. He was chosen for the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in the 2016–17 season. In 2019, he won his second NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. Green won his third championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Danny Green's Early Life and High School Basketball

As a high school freshman, Danny Green went to North Babylon High School in North Babylon, New York. Besides basketball, he also played quarterback on the football team.

From his second year of high school, Green attended St. Mary's High School. This was a private school in Manhasset, New York. In his senior year, he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks per game. Experts like Rivals.com saw Green as a top player. They ranked him as the 8th best shooting guard and the 31st best player in the nation in 2005.

Danny Green's College Basketball Journey

Danny Green started his college basketball career at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

Playing for the Tar Heels

As a freshman in the 2005–06 season, Green often came off the bench as the sixth man. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in his sophomore season. After his second year, Green thought about leaving UNC, but he decided to stay and finish his college career there.

Green at UNC in 2009

In Green's junior year, he played about 22 minutes per game. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He also got much better at shooting. His field goal percentage went up to 46.9%, and his free throw percentage was 87.3%. He made 37.3% of his three-point shots.

Winning a National Championship

Before his senior season, Green said he would enter the 2008 NBA draft. However, he did not sign with an agent. This meant he could still return to school, which he chose to do on June 16, 2008. He was named a team captain along with Bobby Frasor and Tyler Hansbrough. He started every game as the Tar Heels won their fifth national championship.

Green averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game that season. He continued to improve his shooting, making 47.1% of his shots overall and 41.8% from the three-point line. Green was chosen for the All-ACC third team and the ACC's All-Defensive Team. He finished his college career with 1,368 points for the Tar Heels. He also held the school's record for most wins, with 123. Green played in more games (145) than any Tar Heel before him. As of 2009, Green was the only player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks, and 150 steals.

Danny Green's Professional Basketball Career

Danny Green played for several teams during his professional career.

Starting in the NBA

Danny Green with the Cleveland Cavaliers in November 2009

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Green as the 46th player in the 2009 NBA draft. He played in 20 games during his first year with the Cavaliers. The team then let him go at the start of the next season.

The San Antonio Spurs signed Green on November 17, 2010. However, the Spurs let him go six days later after he played in only two games. In January 2011, Green joined the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Development League. He averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in 16 games with the Bighorns. The Spurs signed Green again in March 2011. He also played for the Austin Toros in the NBA Development League briefly. In August 2011, Green signed a one-year contract to play for KK Union Olimpija in Slovenia. This contract allowed him to return to the NBA if the 2011 NBA lockout ended.

Becoming a Champion with the Spurs

Green returned to the Spurs in 2011 after the NBA lockout. He had a great 2011–2012 season, starting 38 of his 66 games. He averaged 9.1 points per game. Green became the starting shooting guard for the Spurs. After the season, he was ranked ninth in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

On July 11, 2012, Green signed a new three-year contract with the Spurs. On February 6, 2013, Green scored a career-high 28 points. He also made 8 three-pointers in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was just one three-pointer short of the Spurs' team record for most three-pointers in a single game.

In Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Green made 7 of 9 three-point shots. He scored 27 points in the Spurs' big 113–77 victory. On June 16, in Game 5, Green made six three-pointers. This brought his total to 25 three-pointers in the series, breaking the record for an NBA Finals series. The previous record was 22, held by Ray Allen. By the end of the series, Green had made 27 three-pointers. However, the Spurs lost the series in seven games.

On April 11, 2014, Green scored a career-high 33 points in a win over the Phoenix Suns. On June 15, 2014, Green won his first NBA championship. The Spurs beat the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the 2014 NBA Finals. By doing this, Green became the third player from UNC to win both an NCAA and an NBA championship. The others were Michael Jordan and James Worthy.

On July 14, 2015, Green signed a new four-year contract with the Spurs. On January 6, 2016, Green made two three-pointers against the Utah Jazz. This gave him 662 three-pointers with San Antonio, putting him second in franchise history. At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. On December 28, 2017, Green reached 900 career three-pointers.

Winning More Championships

Green in 2019

On July 18, 2018, Green and teammate Kawhi Leonard were traded to the Toronto Raptors. On November 10, 2018, Green reached 1,000 three-pointers in his career. On January 19, he scored a season-high 24 points. He also set a Raptors team record by making seven three-pointers in one quarter. Green helped the Raptors reach the 2019 NBA Finals. They defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games, and Green won his second NBA championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Green on July 6, 2019. He played his first game for the Lakers on October 22, 2019. He led the team with 28 points, making 7 of 9 three-point shots. His 28 points were the most ever scored by a player in their first game for the Lakers.

Green helped the Lakers become the top team in the Western Conference. The season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers reached the 2020 NBA Finals, where they beat the Miami Heat 4–2. This gave them the 2020 NBA championship. Green and teammate LeBron James became the third and fourth players in league history to win a championship with three different teams.

Later Career Teams

On November 18, 2020, Green was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, on December 8, Green was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. On August 7, 2021, Green signed a new two-year contract with the 76ers. On May 12, 2022, Green got a left knee injury during a playoff game. He was later diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral cruciate ligament (LCL).

During the 2022 NBA draft, Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. On February 1, 2023, Green played his first game for the Grizzlies. On February 9, 2023, Green was traded to the Houston Rockets. He then left the Rockets and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2023. He played his first game for the Cavaliers that same day. On September 13, 2023, Green signed with the Philadelphia 76ers again. He was later released by the 76ers on November 1. On October 10, 2024, Green announced that he was retiring from professional basketball.

Danny Green's Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Cleveland	20	0	5.8	.385	.273	.667	.9	.3	.3	.2	2.0
2010–11	San Antonio	8	0	11.5	.486	.368	—	1.9	.3	.3	.1	5.1
2011–12	San Antonio	66*	38	23.1	.442	.436	.790	3.5	1.3	.9	.7	9.1
2012–13	San Antonio	80	80	27.5	.448	.429	.848	3.1	1.8	1.2	.7	10.5
2013–14	San Antonio	68	59	24.3	.432	.415	.794	3.4	1.5	1.0	.9	9.1
2014–15	San Antonio	81	80	28.5	.436	.418	.874	4.2	2.0	1.2	1.1	11.7
2015–16	San Antonio	79	79	26.1	.376	.332	.739	3.8	1.8	1.0	.8	7.2
2016–17	San Antonio	68	68	26.6	.392	.379	.844	3.3	1.8	1.0	.9	7.3
2017–18	San Antonio	70	60	25.6	.387	.363	.769	3.6	1.6	.9	1.1	8.6
2018–19	Toronto	80	80	27.7	.465	.455	.841	4.0	1.6	.9	.7	10.3
2019–20	L.A. Lakers	68	68	24.8	.416	.367	.688	3.3	1.3	1.3	.5	8.0
2020–21	Philadelphia	69	69	28.0	.412	.405	.775	3.8	1.7	1.3	.8	9.5
2021–22	Philadelphia	62	28	21.8	.394	.380	.786	2.5	1.0	1.0	.6	5.9
2022–23	Memphis	3	0	14.3	.273	.375	—	1.3	.7	.3	.0	3.0
	Cleveland	8	0	11.9	.500	.448	1.000	1.3	.5	.6	.4	6.5
2023–24	Philadelphia	2	0	9.2	.000	.000	—	1.0	.5	.5	.0	.0
Career		832	709	25.1	.421	.400	.805	3.4	1.5	1.0	.8	8.7

NBA Playoff Stats

College Stats

Danny Green's Personal Life

His Family

Danny Green has several family members who also play basketball. His brother, Rashad, played for Manhattan College and the University of San Francisco. His younger brother, Devonte Green, played for Indiana University. His second cousins, Gerald Green and Garlon Green, are also professional players. A first cousin, Jordan Green, played for Texas A&M University. A third cousin, Willie Green, played in the NBA and later became the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Green With The Toronto Raptors

In 2020, Green got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Blair Bashen. They were married in 2021.

His Podcast

In 2018, Green and his friend Harrison Sanford started a podcast called "Inside the Green Room." They planned to start it slowly, but Green was traded to the Toronto Raptors just before their first episode. So, they decided to launch it fully right away. The podcast became popular and was sponsored by Yahoo Sports Canada. They have had many guests, including players and coaches from the Toronto Raptors and other sports journalists. Green has said he is interested in working in sports broadcasting after his basketball career.

Images for kids

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  Green at UNC in 2009

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  Danny Green with the Cleveland Cavaliers in November 2009

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  Green in 2019

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  Green With The Toronto Raptors

See also

• List of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders
• List of NBA career playoff 3-point scoring leaders