Jeff Green (basketball) facts for kids

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Jeff Green
No. 32 – Houston Rockets
Green in 2017
Power forward / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1986-08-28) August 28, 1986 (age 38) Cheverly, Maryland, U.S.
High school	Northwestern (Hyattsville, Maryland)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Georgetown (2004–2007)
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	2007–present
League	NBA
Career history
2007–2011	Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder
2011, 2012–2015	Boston Celtics
2015–2016	Memphis Grizzlies
2016	Los Angeles Clippers
2016–2017	Orlando Magic
2017–2018	Cleveland Cavaliers
2018–2019	Washington Wizards
2019	Utah Jazz
2020	Houston Rockets
2020–2021	Brooklyn Nets
2021–2023	Denver Nuggets
2023–present	Houston Rockets

Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2023) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008) Second-team All-American – USBWA (2007) Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (2007) Big East Player of the Year (2007) First-team All-Big East (2007) Second-team All-Big East (2006) Big East tournament MVP (2007) Big East Rookie of the Year (2005)

Jeffrey Lynn Green (born August 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As of 2024, he has played for 11 NBA teams over 15 seasons.

Green is a forward. He played three years of college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas. In the 2007 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics picked him fifth overall. However, he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. In 2008, after his first season, Green was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

In 2012, Green had successful open-heart surgery. He then continued his basketball career. In 2023, while playing for the Denver Nuggets, Green won his first NBA championship. As of 2024, he holds a record for playing with the most teammates in the NBA, with 263 different players.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Green was born in Cheverly, Maryland. His parents are Jeffrey Green Sr. and Felicia Akinkugbe. He grew up in College Park, Maryland. He went to Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. In 2004, he led his high school team, the NHS Wildcats, to win the state basketball championship.

College Career at Georgetown

Green playing for the Georgetown Hoyas in 2006

In 2003, Georgetown University recruited Green to play basketball. The coach who recruited him, Craig Esherick, was fired before Green started. John Thompson III became the new coach. Green and center Roy Hibbert were important players for Coach Thompson's future success. Thompson once said that Jeff Green was the smartest player he had ever coached.

In 2005, Green won the Big East Rookie of the Year award. He shared this award with Rudy Gay. In 2006, he was named to the All-Big East Second Team. His teammate Roy Hibbert was also on this team.

In 2007, Green was named the Big East Player of the Year. He and Hibbert were both chosen for the All-Big East First Team. Green played very well in the 2007 Big East tournament. He scored 30 points in the semifinal game and 21 points in the championship game. Because of his great performance, Green was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The Hoyas won their first Big East title since 1989.

Green led the Hoyas to the Final Four of the 2007 NCAA tournament. They beat teams like Belmont and Boston College. Green helped Georgetown win against Vanderbilt with a game-winning shot. He also led the Hoyas to a big comeback win against the top-seeded UNC. This brought the Hoyas to their first Final Four since 1985. The Hoyas eventually lost to Greg Oden and Ohio State. This ended their amazing tournament run and Green's college career. He decided to leave college early to join the NBA draft. Green later returned to Georgetown in the summers. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in English and a minor in theology.

Professional Basketball Career

Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City Thunder (2007–2011)

On June 28, 2007, the Boston Celtics picked Green as the fifth overall player in the 2007 NBA draft. However, he was soon traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. He went there with Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. In return, the Celtics received Ray Allen and Glen Davis. On April 6, 2008, Green scored a career-high 35 points against the Denver Nuggets. In 2008, Green was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He averaged 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 80 games.

The SuperSonics team was sold and moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. They became the Thunder. In January 2009, Green made his first game-winning shot. It helped the Thunder win 122–121 against the Golden State Warriors. In the 2009–10 season, Green played and started in all 82 games. On December 1, 2010, Green scored a new career-high of 37 points against the New Jersey Nets.

Boston Celtics (2011–2015)

Green playing for the Celtics in 2011

Green with the Celtics in 2013

On February 24, 2011, Green was traded to the Boston Celtics. He went with Nenad Krstić and a 2012 first-round draft pick. In exchange, the Celtics sent Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City. Green had a great first start for the Celtics on April 11, 2011. He scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds against the Washington Wizards. After joining the Celtics, Green's shooting percentage improved.

On December 10, 2011, after the NBA lockout ended, Green re-signed with the Celtics. Eight days later, his contract was canceled. This happened after a medical check found an aortic aneurysm (a problem with his heart). He had heart surgery in January 2012 and missed the entire 2011–12 season. His former teammate Kevin Durant dedicated his season to Green. During his recovery, Green also finished his college classes at Georgetown. He graduated in May 2012.

On August 22, 2012, Green signed with the Celtics again. On March 18, 2013, Green scored a career-high 43 points. This was in a close 105–103 loss to the Miami Heat. On April 3, 2013, he scored 34 points against the Detroit Pistons.

In the 2013–14 season, Green played and started in all 82 games for the Celtics. This was after Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett left the team. He had his best season yet, averaging 16.9 points per game. On January 22, he scored 39 points against the Wizards. On March 16, he had another 39-point game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

For the first two months of the 2014–15 season, Green averaged 17.6 points per game, which was a career high.

Memphis Grizzlies (2015–2016)

On January 12, 2015, Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. This was part of a three-team deal with the Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans. He played his first game for the Grizzlies two days later. He scored 10 points in a win against the Brooklyn Nets. On June 18, 2015, Green decided to stay with the Grizzlies for the 2015–16 season.

On December 13, 2015, Green scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to the Miami Heat. He topped that on January 25, 2016, scoring 30 points. This helped the Grizzlies win in overtime against the Orlando Magic. In that game, he made a shot with 1.3 seconds left to tie the game at 100–100.

Los Angeles Clippers (2016)

On February 18, 2016, Green was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He was traded for Lance Stephenson and a future draft pick. Two days later, he played his first game for the Clippers. He scored five points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. On February 26, he started his first game for the Clippers. He scored 22 points in a win against the Sacramento Kings.

Orlando Magic (2016–2017)

Green playing for the Orlando Magic in 2017

On July 7, 2016, Green signed with the Orlando Magic. He played his first game for the Magic on October 26, 2016. He scored seven points in a loss to the Miami Heat. On April 5, 2017, he stopped playing for the rest of the season. This was due to lower back pain that bothered him all season. Green missed the last nine games because of this injury.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2017–2018)

On July 11, 2017, Green signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On May 27, 2018, Green scored 19 points. He started the game because Kevin Love was injured. His play helped the Cavaliers beat the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers then played the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. They lost to the Warriors in four games.

Washington Wizards (2018–2019)

Green playing for the Wizards in 2018

On July 10, 2018, Green signed with his hometown team, the Washington Wizards. He played his first game for the team on October 18. He scored 17 points in a close loss to the Miami Heat. On February 4, 2019, Green scored a season-high 26 points. He also had five rebounds and five assists in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Utah Jazz (2019)

On July 20, 2019, Green signed with the Utah Jazz. He played his first game for the team on October 23, 2019. He scored five points in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 24, the Jazz decided to let Green go from the team.

Houston Rockets (2020)

On February 18, 2020, the Houston Rockets signed Green to a 10-day contract. On February 28, 2020, the Rockets signed Green for the rest of the season. This brought Green back together with his former Thunder teammates James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Thabo Sefolosha.

Brooklyn Nets (2020–2021)

On November 23, 2020, Green signed with the Brooklyn Nets. This reunited him with former Sonics and Thunder teammate Kevin Durant. He also played with James Harden again after Harden was traded to the Nets. On June 15, in a playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Green scored a season-high 27 points. This helped the Nets win the game.

Denver Nuggets (2021–2023)

On August 12, 2021, Green signed with the Denver Nuggets. He played his first game for the team on October 20. He scored 13 points in a win against the Phoenix Suns. On January 15, 2022, Green scored a season-high 26 points. He also had three rebounds and four assists in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Green became an NBA champion when the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in five games in the 2023 NBA Finals.

Return to Houston (2023–Present)

On July 7, 2023, Green signed with the Houston Rockets again. This was his second time playing for the team.

Jeff Green's NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular Season Games

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2007–08	Seattle	80	52	28.2	.427	.276	.744	4.7	1.5	.6	.6	10.5
2008–09	Oklahoma City	78	78	36.8	.446	.389	.788	6.6	2.0	1.0	.4	16.5
2009–10	Oklahoma City	82*	82*	37.1	.453	.333	.740	6.0	1.6	1.3	.9	15.1
2010–11	Oklahoma City	49	49	37.0	.437	.304	.818	5.6	1.8	.8	.4	15.2
Boston	26	2	23.5	.485	.296	.794	3.3	.7	.5	.6	9.8
2012–13	Boston	81	17	27.8	.467	.385	.808	3.9	1.6	.7	.8	12.8
2013–14	Boston	82	82*	34.2	.412	.341	.795	4.6	1.7	.7	.6	16.9
2014–15	Boston	33	33	33.1	.434	.305	.840	4.3	1.6	.8	.4	17.6
Memphis	45	37	30.3	.427	.362	.825	4.2	1.8	.6	.5	13.1
2015–16	Memphis	53	31	29.1	.431	.309	.800	4.5	1.8	.8	.4	12.2
L.A. Clippers	27	10	26.3	.427	.325	.615	3.4	1.5	.7	.8	10.9
2016–17	Orlando	69	11	22.2	.394	.275	.863	3.1	1.2	.5	.2	9.2
2017–18	Cleveland	78	14	23.4	.477	.312	.868	3.2	1.3	.5	.4	10.8
2018–19	Washington	77	44	27.2	.475	.347	.888	4.0	1.8	.6	.5	12.3
2019–20	Utah	30	2	18.4	.385	.327	.778	2.7	.7	.4	.3	7.8
Houston	18	2	22.6	.564	.354	.857	2.9	1.7	.8	.5	12.2
2020–21	Brooklyn	68	38	27.0	.492	.412	.776	3.9	1.6	.5	.4	11.0
2021–22	Denver	75	63	24.7	.524	.315	.833	3.1	1.3	.4	.4	10.3
2022–23^†	Denver	56	4	19.5	.488	.288	.744	2.6	1.2	.3	.3	7.8
2023–24	Houston	78	6	16.8	.456	.331	.819	2.3	.9	.2	.4	6.5
Career		1,185	656	27.7	.450	.337	.804	4.1	1.5	.6	.5	12.0

Playoff Games

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010	Oklahoma City	6	6	37.3	.329	.296	.850	4.7	1.7	.7	.5	11.8
2011	Boston	9	0	19.2	.434	.438	.722	2.7	.2	.6	.4	7.3
2013	Boston	6	6	43.0	.435	.455	.844	5.3	2.3	.3	.7	20.3
2015	Memphis	11	2	27.0	.333	.222	.846	4.7	1.7	.5	.5	8.9
2016	L.A. Clippers	6	1	26.5	.457	.400	.600	3.2	.7	1.0	.3	10.2
2018	Cleveland	22	2	23.8	.408	.300	.717	2.4	1.5	.3	.7	7.7
2020	Houston	12	0	28.4	.495	.426	.824	5.0	1.6	.5	.5	11.6
2021	Brooklyn	6	1	24.7	.485	.556	.875	2.8	1.7	.5	.3	8.2
2022	Denver	5	5	22.6	.353	.375	.800	3.6	.4	.6	.4	3.8
2023^†	Denver	20	0	17.2	.452	.321	.895	1.6	.7	.3	.4	4.1
Career		103	23	25.1	.416	.365	.786	3.2	1.2	.4	.5	8.5

Personal Life and Nickname

Green's nickname is Uncle Jeff. He got this name in 2009. LeBron James said Green reminded him of "that uncle you used to play basketball with at the Y who will punish you down on the blocks and you get mad." Green liked the nickname and even uses it for his Twitter name.