Javonte Green (born July 23, 1993) is an American-Montenegrin 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 for the

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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Green played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Radford Highlanders.

Early life

Green was born and grew up in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...

, until he was 12 years old, when he moved in to live with his aunt in Alberta, Virginia. He attended Brunswick High School in nearby Lawrenceville, where he played basketball for former

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and NBA shooting guard Bryant Stith. As a senior, Green averaged 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.1 steals per game and led the Bulldogs to the VHSL Group AA Division 3 state title. He was named first team All-State and the Virginia Co-Player of the Year. He committed to play

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia, United States. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate ...

, the only

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

school to offer him a scholarship. Green also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

at Brunswick and was the team's starting quarterback during his junior and senior years. Green was offered a scholarship to

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

to play football.

College career

Green played for four seasons as a member of the Radford Highlanders. Green entered the starting lineup as a freshman, averaging 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game and was named to the

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), ...

's All-Newcomer team. As a sophomore, his first full season as a starter, Green led the Highlanders with 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and was named Second Team All-Big South. He was named First Team All-Big South after averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while setting the school single season record for steals with 68 in his junior season. As a senior, Green averaged 15.4 points, nine rebounds, and 1.9 steals and was again named First Team All-Big South as well as the conference Defensive Player of the Year. Green finished his collegiate career as Radford's career leader in rebounds (1,064), steals (245), and games played (133) and second all-time in scoring with 1,911 points. On November 28, 2021, his number 2 jersey was retired by the school.

Professional career

Marín Peixegalego (2015–2016)

After going undrafted in the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, Green signed with Marín Peixegalego of the Spanish third division,

LEB Plata The Segunda FEB, formerly known as LEB 2 and LEB Plata, is the third basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system and the second basketball division organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. Since 2019, three teams are promote ...

on September 11, 2015. In his first professional season, Green averaged 18 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game and was named the LEB Plata's Most Valuable Player.

Pallacanestro Trieste (2016–2018)

Green signed with

Pallacanestro Trieste Pallacanestro Trieste 2004 is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trieste. They played in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) for five seasons (2018–19 LBA season, 2018–19 to 2022–23 LBA season, 2022–23 season); after winning playof ...

of the Italian second division,

Serie A2 Basket Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian basketball league system, Italian league pyramid, below the firs ...

, on July 11, 2016. He averaged 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals in 45 games with Trieste during the 2016–17 season. He returned to Trieste for a second season, averaging 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and a league-leading 2.3 steals per game. Following the season, Green was named to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

roster.

ratiopharm Ulm (2018–2019)

Green signed with

ratiopharm Ulm Ratiopharm Ulm, officially stylized as ratiopharm ulm, is a professional basketball club based in Ulm, Germany. The club has two teams, one professional team, which plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the major German professional league an ...

of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

on July 25, 2018. Green averaged 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 51 games between league and EuroCup play. He was selected as a reserve to play in the 2019

BBL All-Star Game The BBL All-Star Game is the annual All-Star Game of the German first-division basketball league, the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The event is based on the original NBA concept and includes a slam dunk contest and a three-point shootout. Since 2 ...

as a member of the "International" team.

Boston Celtics (2019–2021)

Green was invited to play in the 2019 NBA Summer League as a member of 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), ...

roster. He played in all five of the Celtics' games and averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. On July 25, 2019, the Celtics signed Green to a two-year contract with a partially guaranteed salary for the first season. After averaging 9.3 points (on 80% shooting) and 4.0 rebounds in 14.1 minutes played per game in the preseason, Green was named to the Celtics final roster going into the 2019–20 season. Green made his NBA debut on October 25, 2019, against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, playing the last five seconds of the first half as a defensive replacement in a 112–106 win. The appearance made him the first former Radford player to play in an NBA game. Green scored his first career points on November 7, 2019, against the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, finishing the game with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in a 108–87 win. Green made his first NBA start on February 3, 2020, against the

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

, grabbing three rebounds with one assist and no points in 18 minutes played. On August 25, 2020, Green underwent successful

arthroscopic Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

procedure in repairing a small meniscal tear in his right knee and missed the postseason. His son was born the next day, August 26, 2020.

Chicago Bulls (2021–2023)

On March 25, 2021, Green was traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in a three-team trade involving the

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

. On August 19, 2021, the

announced that they had re-signed Green. Green underwent an arthroscopic debridement to remedy a bone bruise in his right knee on January 11, 2023. He returned to the Bulls for limited minutes starting March 20, but only played in four remaining games.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2023–2024)

On October 16, 2023, Green signed with 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 ...

, but was waived three days later. On October 30, he joined the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

Return to Chicago (2024)

On March 23, 2024, Green signed a 10-day contract with the

and on April 4, he signed for the remainder of the season. On April 5, Green recorded a career high in both points and rebounds, scoring 25 points and recording 13 rebounds in a 108–100 victory against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

New Orleans Pelicans (2024–2025)

On August 22, 2024, Green signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. On February 20, 2025, Green and the Pelicans agreed to a contract buyout.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2025–present)

On February 23, 2025, Green signed with the

International career

Green is a dual-citizen of the United States and Montenegro. He made his debut with the

Montenegro national basketball team The Montenegro men's national basketball team () represents Montenegro in international basketball tournaments. The supervising body is the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. Montenegro joined FIBA in 2006, following the restoration of 2006 ...

in 2017 during the European 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, averaging 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and four steals in two games.

Career statistics

NBA

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 ...

, 48 , , 2 , , 9.7 , , .500 , , .273 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 2 , , 13.8 , , .549 , , .318 , , .667 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .452 , , .375 , , 1.000 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .6 , , .3 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 45 , , 23.4 , , .542 , , .356 , , .833 , , 4.2 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 1 , , 15.0 , , .565 , , .371 , , .667 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .8 , , .7 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 5 , , 25.6 , , .600 , , .370 , , .769 , , 7.4 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 50 , , 18 , , 21.8 , , .446 , , .352 , , .758 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 18 , , 1 , , 9.2 , , .365 , , .242 , , .500 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 264 , , 74 , , 16.8 , , .509 , , .338 , , .747 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .8 , , .4 , , 5.3

Playoffs

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

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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

, 1 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .500 , , .500 , , — , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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

, 5 , , 1 , , 14.4 , , .176 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , 1.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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

, 6 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .400 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 12 , , 1 , , 9.8 , , .276 , , .154 , , .875 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 2.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Radford , 32, , 22 , , 22.0 , , .467 , , .194 , , .618 , , 6.7 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;", Radford , 32 , , 32 , , 27.7 , , .504 , , .192 , , .592 , , 8.1 , , 1.3 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Radford , 35 , , 34 , , 25.6 , , .548, , .343 , , .686 , , 8.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Radford , 34 , , 34 , , 26.2 , , .544, , .111 , , .697 , , 9.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.9, , .9 , , 15.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 133, , 122 , , 25.4 , , .519 , , .238 , , .656 , , 8.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 14.4

Personal life

Green has two daughters and one son.

References

External links

Radford Highlanders bioRealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Javonte 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American emigrants to Montenegro American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Virginia Boston Celtics players Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in Italy Montenegrin men's basketball players Montenegrin people of African-American descent Naturalized citizens of Montenegro New Orleans Pelicans players Pallacanestro Trieste players People from Brunswick County, Virginia Radford Highlanders men's basketball players Ratiopharm Ulm players Santa Cruz Warriors players Shooting guards Small forwards Undrafted NBA players