Danny Green, the sharpshooting guard who clinched an NCAA championship at North Carolina and played a key role in three NBA championship teams, announced his retirement from basketball on Thursday. Green secured NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, starting for all three franchises. Over 15 seasons in the league, he averaged 8.7 points per game.
“I’m officially moving on from the game of basketball and the NBA. It’s been a great run. I’m very proud to be able to walk away from the game. I’m at peace with it. I wasn’t at first, but I think it’s one of those things — once I turned 37, the body started reacting a little differently," Green stated on his YouTube channel.
Retiring with 1,577 three-pointers, he ranks 43rd in NBA history and is one of just 12 players to achieve that milestone while shooting at least 40% from beyond the arc. He also ranks ninth in postseason three-pointers, making 315.
“My body was letting me know. I was getting little calf strains here and there. But also, when you get older, teams aren’t calling as much. Unfortunately, my services weren’t as sought-after as they were when I was younger. It’s been a hell of a ride," added Green.
NBA career
His journey to success was somewhat unconventional. Green is among only four players—alongside Kyle Korver, Rashard Lewis, and Trevor Ariza—who made as many three-pointers without being a first-round draft pick. Selected 46th overall by Cleveland in the 2009 draft, he was waived after just one season.
Green later joined the San Antonio Spurs, where he became a starter for seven seasons, contributing to the team's 2014 championship. He was then traded to Toronto in the Kawhi Leonard deal, helping the Raptors win their title in 2019, and returned to a starting role with the Lakers for their 2020 victory during the pandemic.
“People ask me, ‘How did you learn how to become a winner? How do you become a leader?’. And it’s the people before me, the people that have taught me, my coaches. They prepared me to be successful because ultimately I’m just a normal kid. I had some height, but I was not freakishly athletic. I just worked very hard, and I had the good resources around me to learn how to be professional and do things the right way," Green explained.
After suffering a torn ACL and LCL when teammate Joel Embiid fell on him during Philadelphia’s playoff exit against Miami in May 2022, Green played just 17 more games, including four in the playoffs, over the next two seasons.
Looking ahead, Green expressed interest in pursuing opportunities in media. “I’m excited for the next chapter, the next journey,” he said.
