Danny Green was the perfect role player for the modern NBA

Danny Green received a crash course in what it means to be a role player from the moment he enrolled at North Carolina. Green had all the hallmarks of a more traditional star coming out of New York’s St. Mary’s High School in 2005: He was a five-star recruit, a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 15 overall player in the country by the RSCI. Players of this caliber typically don’t have to wait long on the bench, but in Green’s first three years as a Tar Heel, he started just one game.

Green eventually was shot as a senior and immediately played a winning role for a national championship team. UNC was led by a dominant interior team in Tyler Hansbrough and also had Ty Lawson leading the way and Wayne Ellington firing shots from the wing. On a team full of talent, Green was tasked with the dirty work. He would guard the opponent’s best outside scorer, space the floor and find a way to score the win without holding the ball. It worked to great effect: Green made 13 three-pointers at a rate of 43.3 percent during the Tar Heels’ six-game run to the national title in 2009.

The NBA, still years away from fully embracing the three-point shot, saw a wing that couldn’t take defenders off the dribble with 1-on-1 scoring ability. He fell to the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, going No. 46 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Early in his professional career, Green was best known as a man who performed choreographed dances with LeBron James. As he officially announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday morning, Green is so much more than that.

Green was a professional for 15 years. He was an NBA champion with three different teams – one of only four players in league history to make that claim. Most importantly, he redefined what it means to be a great role player in the pace-and-space NBA, as an egoless complement to some of the best players of all time. Green released the following statement on his social media accounts on Thursday, announcing that his playing career was over.

Green’s NBA career almost ended before it really began. He only played 20 games for the Cavs as a rookie and was left in training camp the following year. He fought his way back into the league via the D-League and his outstanding performance with the Reno Bighorns convinced the San Antonio Spurs to take a chance. It wasn’t until his third season in the league that his career really took off.

Gregg Popovich transformed Green into something like his new Bruce Bowen with the Spurs. San Antonio revolved around a classic frontcourt superstar in Tim Duncan and had two electric shot artists in the backcourt in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. What the Spurs needed was the connective tissue to connect and strengthen their three stars. This is where Green thrived.

After hitting just 31.7 percent of his three-pointers overall in his first two NBA seasons (albeit in just 28 games), Green shot up to a 43.6 percent shooting percentage in 2011 and 2012. He became a Spurs starter and was one of the league’s most reliable outside shooters, hitting more than 41 percent of his three-pointers four seasons in a row. Green’s defense was just as important, teaming with Kawhi Leonard to form a lockdown duo on the perimeter that helped slow down some of the best offenses the league has ever seen.

Green was spectacular in the instant 2013 NBA Finals, which the Spurs lost in seven games to the Heatles-era Miami Heat. For the series, he set a new NBA Finals record: 27 three-pointers in 49 attempts, a mark that has since been surpassed only by Stephen Curry (twice). The Spurs came back with a vengeance the next season, playing some of the best team-oriented basketball the NBA has ever seen. San Antonio won the championship by defeating the Heat in five games, with Green shooting 9 of 20 in three games while also handing defensive duties to Dwyane Wade for much of the series.

Green was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Leonard just before the 2018-2019 season to make the salaries in the deal work. If some thought Green wouldn’t be as effective outside of San Antonio’s dynastic infrastructure, they were quickly proven a success. Green started all 80 games he played for the Raptors and shot 45.5 percent of his three-pointers this year. The Raptors made a Cinderella run to the 2019 NBA Finals and somehow won the whole thing after Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were each sidelined with season-ending injuries for the mighty Golden State Warriors.

Leonard forced the Raptors to win, but Green was a key contributor throughout the run. His six three-pointers in Toronto’s big win in Game 3 cemented his place as one of the great role players in NBA Finals history.

Green signed with the Los Angeles Lakers the next year and teamed up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The season was paused by the Covid pandemic before resuming in the bubble. When the playoffs began, Green was once again a key fullback and floor defender, helping the Lakers win the championship.

Great NBA teams are built on their superstars. The 2014 Spurs, 2019 Raptors and 2020 Lakers didn’t have much in common stylistically, but Green’s 3-and-D skills were a great fit everywhere. He was someone who always knew his role: He wasn’t there dribbling between his legs and trying to make highlight-reel drives to the rim. No, Green excelled on the perimeter, giving his star teammates more room to work inside while handling difficult defensive duties on the other end.

Green’s career is a testament to self-confidence and self-improvement. He came of age in the league in the midst of the three-point revolution, adapting his skills to the needs of the modern game. He always played taller than he was on defense and used his entire 1.90 meter wingspan to keep the star scorers in check. Every era has its standout role players, from Vinnie Johnson to Robert Horry to Derek Fisher to Steve Kerr. In this case it was Danny Green.