Raised in Prince George’s County, MD—a basketball hotbed that served as the childhood home for Kevin Durant, Victor Oladipo and the late Len Bias—Green exited his high school career in the spring of 2004 with a flurry of programs looking to add the 6′ 9″ star.
The son of Georgetown legend John Thompson took over as the program’s coach ahead of the 2004–05 season, and the addition of Green helped smooth what was a daunting rebuild for the former Big East power.
Much like the 2021 version, Green was able to put the ball on the floor and make plays for his teammates, serving as a primitive version of the point-forwards and point-centers populating the NBA today.
Regardless, Green’s basketball IQ prompted Thompson to tell Sports Illustrated in 2006 that Green is “the smartest player I’ve ever coached.” It’s a sentiment Thompson stands by 15 years later.
“I still feel that way,” Thompson says.
Only eight players in league history have ever taken the floor for more franchises, and he is one of two players in league history to tally more than 12,000 points while playing for at least 10 teams. Such a winding road wasn’t expected for Green as he exited college.
Oklahoma City’s playoff run ended in a first-round loss to the Lakers , but spirits were high across the organization as Durant, Green and the Thunder’s young core got their first taste of playoff basketball.
“Our first few years together in the NBA, made it easy on me,” Green says.
There’s an alternate reality in which Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Green grow as a young core, potentially emerging as the team of the decade with two superstars, a frontcourt presence and a supercharged version of Manu Ginóbili.
Green was traded to the Celtics in February 2011, swapped for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson as the Thunder eyed a potential run to the Finals.
The Celtics were bounced from the playoffs by the first iteration of the LeBron James–era Heat in the spring of 2011, with Green battling Jermaine O’Neal, Glen Davis and Shaquille O’Neal for frontcourt minutes alongside Kevin Garnett.
He trained for his first full season with the Celtics, joined fellow Georgetown alumni for workouts and approached the 2011–12 season ready for a significant role on a new potential title team.
Doctors detected an aortic aneurysm in December 2011, shortly after Green agreed to a one-year, $9 million contract with the Celtics.
Green recalls his first days of rehab after his surgery, where one of the NBA’s best athletes struggled to walk from the baseline to the three-point arc.
“First three days I probably walked maybe 10 steps before I had to turn around,” Green says.
Green’s lungs responded well to the arduous physical therapy, and he was back on the court in time for the 2012 opener after a yearlong absence.
There’s a certain threshold of talent one must have to play more than a decade in the NBA, and at his best as a young player, Green showed flashes of All-Star potential.
He’ll initiate hand-offs and set back screens, and when he’s free to make a play in space, he’s more than willing to drive downhill and attack the rim.
Green turned in an uneven regular season in his first campaign with the Cavaliers in ’17–18, a year that wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for Cleveland writ large.
A collision with Jayson Tatum ended Kevin Love’s series for Cleveland early in Game 6 of the conference finals, dealing a major blow to a Cavs team desperately lacking firepower.
“Being in pressure situations, you understand the moment,” Green says.
The Cavaliers were subsequently squashed by the Warriors in the Finals, and the Rockets were summarily bounced from the bubble after running into the Lakers in 2020.
It’s been an uneven ride as of late for Brooklyn, with injuries to both Harden and Irving placing the Nets’ standing in the title chase in a precarious position.
If Brooklyn clinches the title, Green could be remembered as a crucial role player on a championship team, similar to Mike Miller, Shaun Livingston and Robert Horry over the last 20 years.
Green could very well enter his 14th season in 2021–22 without a championship on his résumé, with another opportunity missed as he looks to elongate his career.
Regardless of the Nets’ playoff finish, you can expect to see Green in the postseason once again in 2022, looking to elevate the league’s top stars in pursuit of a championship.