Daniel Richard Green Jr. (born June 22, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. In his NBA career, Green played for six teams. As of 2025, Green is one of just four players in history to have won NBA championships with three different teams; he won titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Green spent his college basketball career at the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 2005 to 2009. He played in more games (145) and had more wins (123) than any Tar Heel before him. In 2009, during his senior year at UNC, Green won an NCAA championship.
Green was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 46th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. After being waived by the Cavaliers, Green played for the San Antonio Spurs, the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Developmental League, and KK Olimpija in Slovenia. Green became a starting guard for the Spurs during the 2011–2012 season and remained with the Spurs until 2018. During the 2013 NBA Finals, Green set an NBA record for most three-point field goals made in a Finals series (23). He then won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Known for his perimeter defense, Green was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in the 2016–17 season. In 2019, he won a second NBA championship in his only season with the Toronto Raptors. Green won a third championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies.
As a high school freshman, Green attended North Babylon High School in North Babylon, New York, on Long Island and in addition to basketball, he played quarterback on the football team. From his sophomore year onwards, Green attended St. Mary's High School, a private school, in Manhasset, New York. He averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks as a senior. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Green was listed as the No. 8 shooting guard and the No. 31 player in the nation in 2005.
Green came off the bench as the sixth man during his freshman year at UNC. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in his sophomore season. After his second year at North Carolina, Green considered transferring, but would ultimately finish his college career there.
In Green's junior year, he averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game. He also improved his true shooting percentage (TS%) significantly, increasing his field goal percentage to 46.9% and his free throw percentage to 87.3%. He shot 37.3% from the three-point line.
Approaching his senior season, Green declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft. However, he refrained from signing with an agent so that he had the option to return to school, which he decided to do on June 16, 2008. He was named team captain alongside Bobby Frasor and Tyler Hansbrough for the year, and started every game as the Tar Heels won their fifth national championship. Green averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 27.4 minutes per game for the season, again improving his shooting percentages, averaging 47.1% and 41.8% from the field and three-point line, respectively.
Green was selected to the All-ACC third team, and the ACC's All-Defensive Team. He ended his college career with 1,368 points for the Tar Heels, and held the school's all-time record for wins, with 123. Green played in more games (145) than any Tar Heel before him. As of 2009, Green was also the only player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010)
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Green as the 46th overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. After he played in 20 games in his rookie year with the Cavaliers, the team waived Green at the beginning of the next season.
Green was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs on November 17, 2010. The Spurs waived him six days later after he appeared in two games.
In January 2011, Green was acquired by the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. He averaged 20 points, a team high, and 7.5 rebounds in 16 games with the Bighorns.
The Spurs signed Green again in March 2011, assigned him to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League on April 2, and then recalled him on April 3.
In August 2011, Green signed a one-year contract with KK Union Olimpija, which included an NBA-out clause option when the 2011 NBA lockout ended.
Third stint with Spurs (2011–2018)
Green returned to the Spurs in 2011 after the lockout ended. Green had a breakout 2011–2012 season, starting 38 of his 66 games played and averaging 9.1 ppg. Green became the starting shooting guard for the Spurs when Manu Ginóbili returned to being the sixth man in the rotation. After the season, Green finished ninth in the league in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
On July 11, 2012, Green re-signed with the Spurs for $12 million over three years. In his first game of the season, he scored 9 points and added 2 blocks in San Antonio's win over the New Orleans Hornets. On November 1, 2012, he scored 13 points in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then on November 3, Green scored 21 points to help the Spurs beat the Utah Jazz in a 110–100 win. On November 13, 2012, he hit a game-winner against the Los Angeles Lakers, finishing the game with 11 points. On February 6, 2013, Green recorded career highs of 28 points and 8 three-pointers made in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was one three-point field goal shy of Chuck Person's record for most three-pointers made in a single game as a Spur.
In game 2 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Green was perfect from the field, including 5–5 from the three-point line. However, the Spurs lost in a blowout to the Miami Heat, 103–84. In game 3 of the NBA Finals, Green hit 7–9 from three-point range, including the one to set a Finals record for most three-pointers in a game by a team. He notched 27 total points in the Spurs' blowout 113–77 victory as the team took a 2–1 series lead in the process. On June 16 in game 5, Green made six three-pointers for a total of 25 in the series to that point, breaking the record for an NBA Finals series previously held by Ray Allen, who made 22 in six games with the Boston Celtics in 2008. By the end of the series, Green had made 27 three-pointers, but the Spurs lost the series in seven games. The record was later broken by Stephen Curry in 2016.