Danny Green went from second-round pick to three-time NBA Champion

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In an episode of The Playbook, MK sits down with 3x NBA Champion, Danny Green who tells stories about his time in the league thus far. But first…

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TLDR

• Danny Green tells his most memorable experiences from his three winning seasons with the Spurs, Lakers, and Raports.

• Green reflects on what it was like to have LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard as teammates as two top players who study the details of the game and perfect their craft.

• Green constructs his own starting out of all the players he has ever played with from guys like Shaq to Anthony Davis.

• Green and the Cavaliers are ready to make a playoff run, and although the team is stacked with solid talent, Green is always ready and reliable off the bench.

• Green shared tips on how he has been successful in his career thus far as a defender and overall student of the game.

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Danny Green is a respected veteran in the league as he closes in on his 15th year. Green has jumped from a few different teams over the years, but he can look back on great times at his former organizations. He shared a few memorable experiences from his three winning seasons.

“I've been very lucky. I've been blessed to be a part of some great groups, some great organizations, even in college,” Green said. “But my first championship, San Antonio, we had lost in 2013. Giving ourselves the opportunity to come back and play the same team in 2014 was definitely a memorable moment. The bubble was the hardest in terms of emotionally trying to get through it— The toughest emotionally, mentally, and obviously physically…. During COVID year it was really hard. And then just winning a championship outside of being in the San Antonio organization was difficult. One year out being traded, going to Toronto for only one year. Had a new group, just being with that group for only a year and making something special happen. So it's hard to say like two most memorable moments.”

Many may knock off the Bubble Championship and put an asterisk next to that chip because it was indeed different than any other “normal” playoffs, but Green expressed how challenging winning that year really was. At the end of the day, Green has the best memories to reflect on, not to mention, has played with some of the best players like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard.

Green shared what it was like to have Bron and The Claw as teammates.

“Bron is just one of the top guys. The reason why he's been able to play for 20 years at that level is because of how much work he puts into himself and his body and takes care of the body. Kawhi’s the same—just how much he puts into the artwork of being that type of scorer, that type of defender…putting that much work into the art of the footwork of the game and watching Mike and Kobe and trying to be like those guys. Day in and day out working on his footwork, working on his pull-up game, all those little details of the game.”

After spending time with those top players among many other teammates like Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Tony Parker and more…who would Danny Green’s top 5 be?

“At center, I'm gonna go with Shaq. At the power forward I'm gonna go with Tim Duncan. At the 3 I’m gonna go Kawhi. I’m at the 2. And Bron at the 1.”

That’s a solid start 5 right there. On paper, that team would forsure win a chip. Right now, Green and the Cavaliers are trying to win a championship of their own.

This Cavaliers’ team is ready for their playoff appearance with the help of Donovan Mitchell and key young players like Darius Garland, Caris Levert, Isaac Okoro, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley. Since Green’s arrival in Cleveland in February, he hasn't gotten much playing time because of how much talent the group already has been rockin' with. With that in mind, many speculate what The Green Ranger’s playoff role will look like and how well deserving he is of postseason minutes.

Regardless of what his role on the court will be, Green still is a win for the time in sharing his knowledge and guiding the young guys. After all, Green has seen the finals many times before and knows what it takes to get there. Green is that reliable player that can come off the bench when needed and still make an impact on the floor.

“I'm not the most athletic, but luckily I've been blessed with the ability to kind of outsmart some people. My reflexes were pretty good, so I was good at reading and reacting. And I'm not a good gambler, but you know, guessing on the court, guessing somebody's movements,” Green said.
“I think the biggest thing is watching somebody's habits. Because it is no secret. You watch a lot of film — the footwork, what type of moves they like to make. You don't know what they're going to do, but you can still rely on, when in doubt, they're going to revert back to these things that they are comfortable with doing.”

Green works on his craft as a student of the game, but he also credits teammates and the need for all the right players to be involved. We’ll see if Green and the Cavs can do just that to piece their way to a deep postseason run this year. I’m sure the Green Ranger wouldn't mind having a fourth ring to rock.

• This is some high-level multitasking👟 

• I’d say this is a pretty big flex 🔥

• These crazy trick shots really use some trickery 🪄

• You can just hear how hard he was hit 🤕

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