Birthplace: Houston, TX
Height: 6'6"
NBA Seasons: 12
There’s a saying in golf: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” If we were to tweak that saying for the NBA, it would be something like “Dunks will put you on the highlight reel, but shooting will keep you on the payroll.”
Gerald Green, the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk champion and one of the greatest leapers the game has ever seen, will be remembered for decades to come for his spectacular aerial exploits. However, it’s his silky-smooth shooting stroke that kept him in the NBA for 12 years. A full 48% of Green’s shots over the course of his career came from beyond the arc, and he left the NBA having knocked down 962 three-pointers with a very respectable percentage of 36.1%. (In case you’re curious, only 5.2% of Green’s career baskets came by way of the dunk.)
After being drafted straight out of high school, Green played for the Celtics, Suns, Rockets, Heat, Pacers, New Jersey, and Minnesota, as well as stints with pro teams in Russia and China. Have jumper, will travel.
More recently, Green won the 2022 G-League Championship, and worked as a player development coach with his hometown Rockets during the 2021-22 season.
Green immediately established himself as one of the best players in the league in his BIG3 rookie season, and he’ll look to build on that success in 2023.