Shams Charania immediately breaks information in his ‘First Take’ debut (1:06)
In his “First Take” debut, Shams Charania reveals that Danny Inexperienced is retiring after a 15-year NBA profession. (1:06)
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Shams Charania, ESPNOct 10, 2024, 10:34 AM ET
After 15 NBA seasons, Danny Green says he’s retiring from basketball.
Inexperienced, who announced his retirement on his podcast Thursday, is one in every of 4 gamers in NBA historical past to win championships with three completely different groups (2014 with the Spurs, 2019 with the Raptors, 2020 with the Lakers).
“I am formally transferring on from the sport of basketball, the NBA. It has been an ideal run,” Inexperienced mentioned. “To me, I am very proud to have the ability to stroll away from the sport. I am at peace with it.”
Inexperienced, 37, was generally known as a 3-point marksman — he was a profession 40% shooter behind the arc — and a frontrunner within the locker room over the course of his profession. He performed two video games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023-24 earlier than he was waived following the commerce that despatched James Harden to the LA Clippers.
Drafted within the second spherical by the Cavaliers in 2009, Inexperienced spent one season in Cleveland earlier than ultimately discovering his spot with the Spurs, the place he spent nearly all of his profession and averaged a career-high 11.7 factors whereas taking part in in 81 video games in 2014-15. He additionally made the All-Defensive Staff in 2016-17.
He finishes with profession averages of 8.7 factors and three.4 rebounds in 832 video games. His 1,577 3-pointers rank forty third in NBA historical past, and he’s one in every of solely 12 gamers to make that many 3s and shoot no less than 40% from past the arc.
He’s additionally ninth in postseason 3-pointers, with 315.
“My physique was letting me know. I used to be getting little calf strains right here and there,” Inexperienced mentioned. “But in addition, while you grow old, groups aren’t calling as a lot. Sadly, my companies weren’t as wanted as they had been once I was youthful. It has been a hell of a trip.”
Inexperienced is one in every of solely 4 gamers — Kyle Korver, Rashard Lewis and Trevor Ariza are the others — to make as many 3-pointers as he did with out being a first-round draft decide. After profitable a nationwide title with North Carolina, Inexperienced was the forty sixth total decide within the draft by Cleveland. He grew to become a starter in San Antonio for seven seasons, serving to the Spurs win a title in 2014. He was traded to Toronto as a part of the Kawhi Leonard deal, was a starter on the Raptors group that received a title in 2019 and was a starter once more on the Lakers group that received a title within the pandemic season of 2020.
“Individuals ask me, ‘How did you learn to turn out to be a winner? How do you turn out to be a frontrunner?’” Inexperienced mentioned. “And it is the individuals earlier than me, the folks that have taught me, my coaches. They ready me to achieve success as a result of finally I am only a regular child. I had some peak, however I used to be not freakishly athletic. I simply labored very exhausting, and I had the nice sources round me to learn to be skilled and do issues the correct method.”
Inexperienced tore his ACL and LCL when teammate Joel Embiid fell on him throughout Philadelphia’s season-ending playoff loss to Miami in Might 2022, and he appeared in solely 17 extra video games (4 within the playoffs) within the subsequent two seasons.
He’ll now concentrate on persevering with his broadcasting profession, the GreenLight enterprise fund devoted to empowering modern entrepreneurs, the Between the Traces mentorship program, and The Throne basketball event powered by Inexperienced and the Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation.
“I am excited for the following chapter, the following journey,” Inexperienced mentioned.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
