Gerald Green (born January 26, 1986) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He was drafted by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

with the 18th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Known for his dunking skill, he has performed well in many slam dunk competitions, having won the 2005 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest and the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, while finishing as the runner-up in the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Early life

Green was born in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. When he was in the 6th grade, he was involved in an accident that left a significant portion of his right ring finger cut off. He was wearing a ring on his right ring finger when he attempted a dunk on a makeshift basketball hoop. The ring caught onto a nail on the goal and his finger was ripped, with amputation being the only option.

High school career

Green did not play high school basketball until his sophomore year, when he played junior varsity for J. Frank Dobie High School. In his junior year, he made the varsity team, but his play was cut short because of academic issues. Green transferred to a charter school, Gulf Shores Academy in Houston where he repeated his junior year. In his senior year at Gulf Shores, he averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocked shots per game. He was named an All-American and was the high scorer with 24 points in the 2005 McDonald's All-American Game, which features two teams composed of the best high school basketball players in the United States. Green also won the McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest that year, defeating future

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

player Josh McRoberts. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Green was listed as the No. 1 player in the nation in 2005. Green originally committed to Oklahoma State University, but later decided to enter the NBA draft upon graduation. He hired an agent, thereby making himself ineligible to participate in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

athletics.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2005–2007)

Green was expected by many analysts to be one of the top players chosen but he fell to the Celtics, who selected him with the 18th pick in the 2005 NBA draft. His fall is attributed to his decision to give individual workouts only for the teams with the top six picks prior to the draft. Green was one of the last players to enter the NBA directly from high school, as the collective bargaining agreement between NBA owners and the National Basketball Players Association now mandates that American players who enter the draft must be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class and reach age 19 no later than December 31 of the calendar year of the draft. During the preseason, Green averaged 8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Celtics in the 2005 Las Vegas Summer League. After seeing limited playing time during the first part of the season, Green was placed on the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA D-League by the Celtics in January 2006. He was recalled and activated to an NBA roster position on February 3. He was reassigned to the NBDL, to the Florida Flame, on February 16. He was recalled and activated again on February 21, and saw his first significant NBA game action on the following night, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in 23 minutes. He appeared in 32 games and averaged 11.8 minutes, 5.2 points, and 1.2 rebounds during these contests. Green left marks on the league with his highlight plays including a shot clock beating half court three against Indiana and two '' SportsCenter'' top play dunks in the closing seconds in two games against the Toronto Raptors. Over the off-season, Green aimed at improving all aspects of his game in order to gain playing time. He had shown flashes of his capability during the end of the 2005–06 season, but started off the 2006–07 season slowly, earning a somewhat limited role and playing time behind captain Paul Pierce, and swingman Wally Szczerbiak. With injuries to Szczerbiak and Pierce, his playing time increased, but he was unable to nail down a starting role. Green started his first-ever game early December against the Philadelphia 76ers, but then lost his job to a returning Szczerbiak. Green finished the 2006–07 season averaging 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. On February 17, 2007, Green won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, beating out Nate Robinson, Tyrus Thomas, and Dwight Howard. The season was going very well for Green. On March 16, 2007, he scored a career-high 25 points in a Celtics loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and on April 10, 2007, Green topped that with 33 points (12–22 FG, 4–5 3FG) at

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

.Hawks pull out victory in battle of shorthanded teams
/ref> On July 31, 2007, it was made official that Green was to be traded along with Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and draft picks, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2007–2008)

At Minnesota, Green found himself stuck on the bench behind a number of players at his same position. In early January 2008, Green's agent asked the Timberwolves to trade his client. At the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Green opened the competition with a dunk he called "The Birthday Cake" in which he blew out a birthday candle on a cupcake set on the back of the rim while dunking. He followed that up with an alley-oop two-handed windmill. His first dunk of the second round was an alley-oop from behind the basket which he put between his legs before dunking. His final dunk of the night was a between-the-legs one-handed slam that he performed after taking off his shoes. He ended up finishing second to Dwight Howard, after Howard received seventy-eight percent of the votes cast by fans through text message.

Houston Rockets (2008)

On February 21, 2008, Green was traded to his hometown team

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for Kirk Snyder, a 2010 second-round draft pick, and cash considerations. He was subsequently released by the Rockets on March 8 and became an unrestricted free agent in July.

Dallas Mavericks (2008–2009)

On July 1, 2008, Green signed with the Dallas Mavericks. His agent Colin Bryant told Fox 26 Sports, "We have a verbal agreement with Dallas on a one year contract, We talked to a number of teams and there is more money out there, but this is the best situation for Gerald at this point in his career." Green was not supposed to go to the summer league, but chose to go to learn the plays and get a feeling of the Mavericks organization early and not let his chance slip away. In the Vegas Summer League he averaged an underwhelming 13.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg on 38% shooting from the field. On a bright note, he was 43% from beyond the arc. Following the Vegas Summer League, the Mavericks and Green participated in the Rocky Mountain Revue, a summer league held in Salt Lake City, Utah. There in just 25.8 mpg Green averaged 17.7 ppg to go with 2.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg, .5 bpg, and a respectable 2.2 topg. This time around, Green shot a much more impressive 45%, including going 12 for 26 from behind the three point line (46%), and 28–31 from the free throw line (90%). His overall performance was enough to earn him All-Revue Team honors.

Lokomotiv Kuban (2009–2010)

Green signed with PBC Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia in December 2009.Gerald Green Signs With Russian Team
. Retrieved on December 16, 2009. The Lokomotiv Kuban waived him in June 2010.

Krasnye Krylia (2010–2011)

Green was named to the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 2010 NBA Summer League. After the Summer League, he signed with BC Krasnye Krylya, also a Russian team.Krasnye Krylia tabs Gerald Green
/ref>

Foshan Dralions (2011)

In October 2011, Green moved to China, signing a one-year contract with the Foshan Dralions.Gerald Green signed in China with Foshan
/ref> On December 2, 2011, Green was released by Foshan.
/ref>

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2011–2012)

On December 13, 2011, Green signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as an opportunity to return to the NBA. However, Green was waived by the Lakers on December 22 just days before the shortened regular season began. On December 28, 2011, Green signed with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. He played at the NBA D-League All-Star Game and was awarded the NBA D-League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. Over the season, he averaged 19.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He recorded a season-high of 35 points against the Erie BayHawks.

New Jersey Nets (2012)

The New Jersey Nets signed Green to a 10-day contract on February 27, 2012. He was signed to a second 10-day contract on March 8, 2012. His dunk against the Houston Rockets on March 10, 2012, was called "one of the dirtiest in-game windmill alley-oops in NBA history". On March 18, 2012, he was signed for the rest of the season. Through the season he averaged 12.9 points, 1.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 31 games played.

Indiana Pacers (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Green signed with the Indiana Pacers. During the 2013 All-Star weekend, Green participated in his third NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Phoenix Suns (2013–2015)

On July 27, 2013, Green was traded to the Phoenix Suns alongside Miles Plumlee and a future first-round pick for Luis Scola. Green started for the Suns when fellow guards

Goran Dragić Goran Dragić (born 6 May 1986) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Dragon", he played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before entering the NBA in 2008. Dragić also played for the Phoenix Suns, Miam ...

and Eric Bledsoe were injured during their respective periods in November 2013. He received more starting time with the Suns after Bledsoe had a major knee injury during January, February, and early March 2014. Throughout this period, Green would take over some games as being the team's leading scorer, including a 112–107 overtime victory against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, in which he'd record a then-career-high 36 points against them, which included making 8 of the team's 13 points in overtime. On March 6, 2014, Green recorded a new career-high 41 points, including a career-high 8 made three-pointers, in a 128–122 victory over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. When Eric Bledsoe returned to action on March 12, 2014, Green returned to his bench role. Green finished the season with new career highs in points per game and free-throw percentage. As a result, he finished fourth in the NBA Most Improved Player Award behind Anthony Davis, Lance Stephenson, and Green's teammate Goran Dragić. On April 8, 2015, Green scored a season-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting in a 104–107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Miami Heat (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Green signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. He made his debut for the Heat in the team's season opener against the Charlotte Hornets on October 28, scoring 19 points off the bench in a 104–94 win. On November 27, he scored a season-high 25 points while starting in place of the injured Luol Deng, helping the Heat defeat the New York Knicks 97–78. He topped that mark on April 1, 2016, scoring 30 points while starting in place of the injured Dwyane Wade, helping the Heat defeat the Sacramento Kings 112–106.

Return to Boston (2016–2017)

On July 27, 2016, Green signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On December 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 19 points in a 113–103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On April 23, 2017, in Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, Green had a postseason career-high 18 points, 16 of which were tallied before halftime.

Return to Houston (2017–2020)

On September 24, 2017, Green signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was waived on October 14, after appearing in four preseason games. On December 28, 2017, Green returned with the

for a second stint. On January 3, 2018, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 116–98 win over the Orlando Magic. Two days later, Green came off the bench to score 29 and tie a career high with eight 3-pointers in a 124–114 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. He became the first player in franchise history to make seven or more 3-pointers in consecutive games after he made seven against Orlando. On January 17, Green was suspended for two games without pay for entering the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

' locker room after a game against the team two days earlier. On March 30, Green hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to snatch a win against the Phoenix Suns. On July 10, 2018, Green re-signed with the Rockets. On July 22, 2019, Green re-signed with the Rockets. On October 28, the Rockets announced that Green had undergone surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot and would be sidelined for approximately six months. On February 5, 2020, the Rockets traded Green to the

in a four-team trade, and the Nuggets waived Green two days later. On December 1, 2020, Green re-signed with the Houston Rockets to a one-year non-guaranteed deal. On December 19, the Rockets waived Green.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2022)

On January 8, 2022, Green came out of retirement and signed with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 18 points and 5.1 rebounds. He won his first championship when the Vipers won the 2022 NBA G League Finals.

Coaching career

On October 22, 2021, Green announced his retirement and joined the

coaching staff as a player development coach.

Player profile

Green drew comparisons to future

teammate and star Tracy McGrady in the period leading up to the 2005 NBA draft.

Personal life

Green's second cousin is

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

shooting guard Danny Green. He also has a younger brother, Garlon, who is also a professional basketball player for CSM Oradea in Romani

He formerly played for TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball, TCU before going to play in Europe.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 32 , , 3 , , 11.7 , , .478 , , .300 , , .784 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 26 , , 22.0 , , .419 , , .368 , , .805 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .331 , , .385 , , .829 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 38 , , 12 , , 9.9 , , .439 , , .304 , , .844 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 31 , , 2 , , 25.2 , , .481 , , .391 , , .754 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .5 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 60 , , 7 , , 18.0 , , .366 , , .314 , , .800 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , .4 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , 48 , , 28.4 , , .445 , , .400 , , .848 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 74 , , 4 , , 19.5 , , .416 , , .354 , , .825 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 69 , , 14 , , 22.6 , , .392 , , .323 , , .783 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 47 , , 0 , , 11.4 , , .409 , , .351 , , .805 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 41 , , 2 , , 22.7 , , .407 , , .369 , , .850 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 0 , , 20.2 , , .400 , , .354 , , .838 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 9.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 658 , , 118 , , 19.8 , , .417 , , .361 , , .818 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , .3 , , 9.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .286 , , .200 , , .500 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .420 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016 , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .327 , , .286 , , .800 , , 1.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017 , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 7 , , 14.8 , , .472 , , .467 , , .889 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018 , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .394 , , .375 , , .857 , , 2.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 8.8 , , .300 , , .345 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 68 , , 7 , , 11.8 , , .389 , , .374 , , .844 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 5.1

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Gerald 1986 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Russia American men's basketball players Basketball players from Houston BC Krasnye Krylia players Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Dallas Mavericks players Fayetteville Patriots players Florida Flame players Guangzhou Loong Lions players Houston Rockets assistant coaches Houston Rockets players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles D-Fenders players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat players Minnesota Timberwolves players NBA high school draftees New Jersey Nets players PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players Phoenix Suns players Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Shooting guards Small forwards American men's 3x3 basketball players Big3 players