Former Sixer Danny Green retires from NBA

Former Sixer and three-time NBA champ Danny Green is officially retiring from the NBA.

Former Philadelphia 76er Danny Green is officially retiring from the NBA.

Green had one of the most fascinating career arcs for a role player in recent memory. He declared for the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected 49th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 20 games his rookie season before being waived and spending time in the then-D League (now G League) and overseas.

The San Antonio Spurs would eventually sign Green in 2011, where he eventually broke out under Gregg Popovich — going from a fringe roster player to an important piece on a contending team. Green played a huge part in several of the Spurs’ playoff runs, helping them win a championship over the loaded Miami Heat in 2014. Green would stay with the Spurs for a few seasons after, later being traded to the Toronto Raptors in the Kawhi Leonard deal in 2018.

Green was essentially a throw-in in the Leonard deal, but ended up becoming a huge factor yet again. He logged one of his best seasons ever in 2018-19, and was a starter during their title run. Green would go on to win another title with Leonard and the Raptors, later departing for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.

The 2020 season came, and along with it the bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. Green would win his third title with the Lakers, defeating the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat. The Lakers decided to drastically overhaul their roster the following summer, which led to Green being traded to Oklahoma City for Dennis Schroder, and being re-routed to Philadelphia in the Al Horford trade.

Acquiring Green was one of Daryl Morey’s first moves as a Sixers’ executive, and it turned out to be a good one. Green started all 69 games he appeared in for the Sixers in 2020-21, averaging 9.5 points and shooting 40.5 percent from three. Green would later re-up on a new contract with the Sixers, playing another season before suffering an ACL tear in the 2022 playoffs.

Green was then sent to Memphis along with a first-round pick (David Roddy was selected) for De’Anthony Melton. Green was still recovering from knee surgery and was used as salary filler in the deal. He rehabbed with the Grizzlies and saw limited action before being traded to the Rockets and subsequently bought out. He signed with the Cavs, appearing in only eight games for Cleveland.

Green’s final NBA minutes were in a Sixers uniform. He saw action in the first two games of the 2023-24 season, but when the James Harden trade went down, Green was waived because of a roster crunch and his non-guaranteed contract.

Danny Green went from being a fringe roster player to becoming a key glue guy for several title contenders. His accolades of three NBA championships and an All-Defensive second team award in 2017 show a glimpse into how he won nearly everywhere he went. Now, we’ll wait and see if his next chapter involves analysis or commentary — two fields he has dabbled in over the past few seasons.