East Chicago, Indiana--- If you've ever dreamed something that seemed nearly impossible and thought about giving up; read the story of Danny Green and go pursue your dreams. Green's story is really unique because unlike some players Green did not have that "picture perfect" path into the NBA. His story is inspiring to anyone that has ever had a dream but hit rock bottom and didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel and is hoping for a better day. Things weren't always glorious for Green. He was drafted by Cleveland late in the second round and was waived the following season. Nonetheless, Green learned a lot his rookie year, like how to be professional on and off the court and what not to do from watching the bad habits of others.
"In my rookie year I learned a lot from Shaq, Lebron, Moe, probably the most from Anthony Parker and Delonte West. I learned more of what not to do from Delonte, and with Anthony he did a great job, he's one of the most professional guys I've ever been around." said Green, as he reflected on the lessons he learned while playing in Cleveland.
As mentioned, things didn't end well in Cleveland as he was waived, but later picked up by San Antonio. Going to San Antonio would be a roller coaster for Green. Hoping for a fresh start with a new team Green learned quickly he had to bring his "A-Game" to the Spurs. Initially, things didn't fair too well in San Antonio. After signing with San Antonio, Green was waived and ended up playing in the D-League team the Reno Bighorns. Green, grateful for the opportunity to continue to elevate his game, thrived in the D-League. He would eventually sign with San Antonio again, and be assigned to the D-League again, but this time with the Austin Toros.
A career that had so much potential seemed to be headed into a downward spiral which left Green to fall into depression. This worried the Green family, especially his little brother Devonte Green, who looked up to his older brother and was proud of his accomplishments.
"When Danny was out the league for the time he was, we were worried he would lose confidence and it would affect him, but he got in the gym and worked to get himself back in the league and we all had confidence in him that he would get be back to where he wanted to be." said Devonte as he remembered how vulnerable his brother was at the time. Danny would even admit that it was his support system, a collection of family and close friends, that helped him get through his darkest hours.
"You need a good support system. I had a great support system that encouraged me. They really supported me and they really kept my confidence going. Just doing your craft everyday builds your confidence. Getting in the gym, if you're not a good shooter, shoot it every day if you're not a good ball handler, dribble everyday." said Danny.
Now, after getting his game to the level it needed to be, Green is a major X-Factor for the San Antonio Spurs and has even incorporated clutch defense into his game. Green became a household name two years ago in the 2013 NBA Finals when he was shooting 3's in the Finals and just couldn't miss. Things turned for the worse for Green and his shooting fell off in the last two games of the series and Miami won the NBA Finals in Game 7. Most would say the Spurs missed their chance in Game 6 when they had a double digit lead but lost it, and Miami made a historic come back. The loss was obviously devastating and Green took it very hard. His friend Justin Laboy reflected on how up Green was about the loss.
"It wasn't good seeing such a positive guy whose always laughing struggling to find something to laugh about... when I seen him at his family BBQ we talked about it for a few but I really tried to take that loss off his mind" said LaBoy
Green would just have to accept this loss and use it as a learning tool to overcome adversity and make it back to the Finals and become champions. Something that isn't easy to do. Green and company were reminded of Game 6 of last year's finals every day.
"Umm it's been old, but it comes with the nature of the business, every game every day we talk about it but it also reminds us of where we could have been and where we need to be." said Green, when asked if he was tired of the Game 6 talk.
San Antonio would go on a mission during the regular season to get back to where they were suppose to be. They would even go into the postseason and battle with great teams like Dallas, Portland, and Oklahoma City. At the same time Miami would stroll on to the Finals as well and the two teams would meet for a rematch. This time San Antonio defeated Miami and Danny Green can finally put the dark days behind him.
"In my rookie year I learned a lot from Shaq, Lebron, Moe, probably the most from Anthony Parker and Delonte West. I learned more of what not to do from Delonte, and with Anthony he did a great job, he's one of the most professional guys I've ever been around." said Green, as he reflected on the lessons he learned while playing in Cleveland.
As mentioned, things didn't end well in Cleveland as he was waived, but later picked up by San Antonio. Going to San Antonio would be a roller coaster for Green. Hoping for a fresh start with a new team Green learned quickly he had to bring his "A-Game" to the Spurs. Initially, things didn't fair too well in San Antonio. After signing with San Antonio, Green was waived and ended up playing in the D-League team the Reno Bighorns. Green, grateful for the opportunity to continue to elevate his game, thrived in the D-League. He would eventually sign with San Antonio again, and be assigned to the D-League again, but this time with the Austin Toros.
A career that had so much potential seemed to be headed into a downward spiral which left Green to fall into depression. This worried the Green family, especially his little brother Devonte Green, who looked up to his older brother and was proud of his accomplishments.
"When Danny was out the league for the time he was, we were worried he would lose confidence and it would affect him, but he got in the gym and worked to get himself back in the league and we all had confidence in him that he would get be back to where he wanted to be." said Devonte as he remembered how vulnerable his brother was at the time. Danny would even admit that it was his support system, a collection of family and close friends, that helped him get through his darkest hours.
"You need a good support system. I had a great support system that encouraged me. They really supported me and they really kept my confidence going. Just doing your craft everyday builds your confidence. Getting in the gym, if you're not a good shooter, shoot it every day if you're not a good ball handler, dribble everyday." said Danny.
Now, after getting his game to the level it needed to be, Green is a major X-Factor for the San Antonio Spurs and has even incorporated clutch defense into his game. Green became a household name two years ago in the 2013 NBA Finals when he was shooting 3's in the Finals and just couldn't miss. Things turned for the worse for Green and his shooting fell off in the last two games of the series and Miami won the NBA Finals in Game 7. Most would say the Spurs missed their chance in Game 6 when they had a double digit lead but lost it, and Miami made a historic come back. The loss was obviously devastating and Green took it very hard. His friend Justin Laboy reflected on how up Green was about the loss.
"It wasn't good seeing such a positive guy whose always laughing struggling to find something to laugh about... when I seen him at his family BBQ we talked about it for a few but I really tried to take that loss off his mind" said LaBoy
Green would just have to accept this loss and use it as a learning tool to overcome adversity and make it back to the Finals and become champions. Something that isn't easy to do. Green and company were reminded of Game 6 of last year's finals every day.
"Umm it's been old, but it comes with the nature of the business, every game every day we talk about it but it also reminds us of where we could have been and where we need to be." said Green, when asked if he was tired of the Game 6 talk.
San Antonio would go on a mission during the regular season to get back to where they were suppose to be. They would even go into the postseason and battle with great teams like Dallas, Portland, and Oklahoma City. At the same time Miami would stroll on to the Finals as well and the two teams would meet for a rematch. This time San Antonio defeated Miami and Danny Green can finally put the dark days behind him.
The Lesson:
So what do we learn from Danny Green's career? We learn that defying odds is possible, but you must have the heart and will to do so. Green could have easily given up on basketball, however, that's not in the Green's blood stream. He's a fighter and doesn't believe in quitting. His success wasn't given it was earned. The blood, the sweat, the tears, the hard work, the setbacks, the moments where he wanted to give up... the moment he didn't. The moment he made it to the NBA Finals and loss. The moment he made it to the NBA Finals and won. We can take a lot away from Danny's career. The most important thing to take away is the persistence he had throughout his entire career that carried him through out his life. That is what Danny Green taught us. That dreams do come true.
So what do we learn from Danny Green's career? We learn that defying odds is possible, but you must have the heart and will to do so. Green could have easily given up on basketball, however, that's not in the Green's blood stream. He's a fighter and doesn't believe in quitting. His success wasn't given it was earned. The blood, the sweat, the tears, the hard work, the setbacks, the moments where he wanted to give up... the moment he didn't. The moment he made it to the NBA Finals and loss. The moment he made it to the NBA Finals and won. We can take a lot away from Danny's career. The most important thing to take away is the persistence he had throughout his entire career that carried him through out his life. That is what Danny Green taught us. That dreams do come true.