Danny Green started his high school career at North Babylon High School in North Babylon, New York. He played basketball there but was also a quarterback for the school’s football team. For the final three years of high school, Green attended St. Mary’s in Manhasset, New York. Green was rated as a high-level recruit by ESPN and other recruiting analysts. He even earned himself a spot at one of the top basketball schools in the country after averaging a double-double in his senior season and being named a McDonald’s All-American.

Green played his college basketball at the University of North Carolina. He ended up staying at North Carolina for all four years of his eligibility, remaining a Tar Heel until 2009, the year that the team won the NCAA Tournament with a national championship game victory over Michigan State. He was not a key contributor for his first two seasons, and considered transferring, but remained at North Carolina and averaged double figures for his junior and senior seasons.

In addition to his scoring improving, Green developed into a strong defender while at UNC. He finished his senior season as a member of the all-defensive team in the ACC, despite playing in a conference that featured a number of future pros such as Al-Farouq Aminu and Iman Shumpert.

Despite the strong finish to his collegiate career, Green was not a highly touted NBA Draft prospect. He was drafted with the 46th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Green’s rookie season saw him get limited action, averaging less than six minutes per game, with unimpressive season stats headlined by a two-point per game average and time in the D-League with the Erie Bayhawks. Green was waived by the Cavs after his rookie year.

The next season, Green was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs and spent some more time in the D-League with the Reno Bighorns. He returned to the Spurs after the lockout of 2011 and earned his way into their starting lineup. With his shooting touch perfect for the ball movement heavy system used by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Green played an integral role for the Spurs for years.

With the Spurs playing in the playoffs for the bulk of Green’s time there, he saw action in a number of big games against some of the best NBA players of his generation. In 2014, Green was a part of a championship team for the first time, when the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the Finals. San Antonio was led by Kawhi Leonard in that series, who Green would join in 2018 as a member of the Toronto Raptors as a part of a trade for DeMar DeRozan.

It was in Toronto that Green won a second championship. The Raptors beat out fellow contenders such as the Celtics, Sixers and Bucks, with the Raptors earning the first NBA title for a Canadian team when they beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Finals. Leonard was named Finals MVP for the series once again, but Green’s three-point shooting came in handy to space the floor and keep the Warriors dynasty on its toes defensively. 

Following the Finals, Green signed a deal to join LeBron James as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.