Spurs champion Danny Green announces his retirement from the NBA

Former San Antonio Spur and three-time NBA champion Danny Green has announced his retirement from basketball via X and his YouTube account. Danny Green x In The Green Room.

After entering the NBA as a second-round pick after an NCAA championship with the North Carolina Tar Heels, he quickly became one of LeBron James' most popular sidekicks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, he became known more for his sideline dancing than his on-field play and was released after playing in just 20 games in his rookie season.

He was soon seen as one of the ultimate saviors for Spurs. He signed with Spurs during the 2010-2011 season, but was released after just two games because, as he said, he still had some growing up to do. He then signed with the G-League Reno Bighorns before returning to the Spurs late in the season, splitting his time between Austin and San Antonio. He returned as a new man after the NBA lockout, had his breakout season in the 2011-2012 season as the Spurs returned to true championship contention, and the rest is history.

He was the perfect, prototypical three-and-D player of his era, giving the Spurs a reliable outside shooter and All-NBA-level defense. Although he earned the nickname “Icy-Hot” for his sometimes inconsistent but deadly three-point shot, his presence allowed the Spurs to move Manu Ginobili back into the preferred sixth man role. Green almost helped the Spurs win the championship in 2013 with a then-record 27 three-pointers in the Finals, and they would win it all the next season.

Green remained an important part of the Spurs' rotation and culture over the next four seasons, including being named to the 2nd All-Defense team in 2017. Unfortunately, his time with the Spurs ended abruptly after the 2017-18 season when he it was included in the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan and Jacob Poeltl. Nobody wanted to see his time with the Spurs end like this, but it had to be done to continue the saga that his teammate had brought to the franchise.

Green won two more championships, with the Raptors in 2019 and the Lakers in 2020, making him the third NBA player to win championships with three different teams, joining John Sally and Robert Horry. Even when he switched to journeyman at the end of his career, he remained a sought-after rotation player for his competitors. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL and ACL in the 2022 playoffs when his teammate Joel Embiid flopped fell in his leg and played just 13 more games over the next two seasons before announcing his retirement.

Danny Green was and remains one of Spurs' best and a fan favorite here in San Antonio. Congratulations to him on such a wonderful NBA career after it got off to a rocky start and I'm sure he has an extremely bright future ahead of him wherever it takes him.

Thanks for everything, Danny!