Danny Green may not have seen a lot of action in the ongoing season, but the three-time NBA champion has the unique distinction where every NBA Finals since 1999 included his teammates.
Earlier, this record was originally held by Shaquille O’Neal , with one of his teammates featuring in every NBA finals from 1984-2020.
Now for the sharpshooter’s streak to continue, one of LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Denver Nuggets), Derrick White (Boston Celtics), Kyle Lowry (Miami Heat), or Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) must make the NBA Finals.
Green’s streak goes back to 1999 and that starts with his time with the San Antonio Spurs. An NBA fan on Reddit traced the history of his teammates.
Note that the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Green as the 46th overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft, and he was picked by the Spurs, where he played alongside Tim Duncan. At the same time, Shaq was with the Lakers till 2004 before being traded to the Miami Heat.
1999 – Tim Duncan
2000 – Shaq
2001 – Shaq
2002 – Shaq
2003 – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili
2004 – Shaq
2005 – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili
2006 – Shaq (Cavaliers)
2007 – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili
2008 – Rajon Rondo (Lakers)
2009 – Shannon Brown
2010 – Shannon Brown (Spurs)
2011 – LeBron James (Cavaliers)
2012 – LeBron James (Cavaliers)
2013 – LeBron James (Cavaliers)
2014 – All Spurs
2015 – David Lee (Spurs)
2016 – LeBron James (Cavaliers)
2017 – Patrick McCaw (Raptors)
2018 – Patrick McCaw (Raptors)
2019 – All Raptors
2020 – All Lakers
2021 – Bryn Forbes (Spurs)
2022 – Derrick White (Teammates on Spurs)
This surely comes off as one of the more mind-boggling stats. To compare, here’s the streak that Shaq had for 37 NBA Finals.
In the 2020 Finals, multiple Lakers players — James, Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, Jared Dudley, and Danny Green were the big man’s teammates. Goran Dragic and Udonis Haslem, who were the Heat were his former mates.
This was a feat that even Shaq was unaware of. “All streaks come to an end. I’m just fortunate to have played for as long as I played,” he said on TNT earlier. Now, Green will consider himself fortunate to have played for 14 seasons in the league and has a chance to extend the streak.
14 Years In, Danny Green Still Believes He Has What It Takes To Dominate In The NBA
While Danny Green was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers to aid with their postseason run, it wasn’t exactly the deeper run the team or the sharpshooter envisioned. But the latter was confident about his impact even in the fast-paced league.
“When it comes to getting over screens and guarding guards, I’m still very capable,” Green said on Inside the Green Room “… Of course, not the level I was when I was in my 20s. But still…knee is good enough, and my legs are good enough to move, slide, and contest shots at a level that is just as good, if not better, than most of the league. A lot of guys are not playing defense out there.”
“Anyway. .. At the very worst, I’m an average defender, and I still think I’m better than average. But that’s still better than most. Most guys in the league are not good defenders or average defenders.”
Green tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in the 2022 playoffs and that saw him sidelined for a major portion of the 2022-23 season. He did play two games for the Cavaliers, but couldn’t get much of an impact.
Now, he will have some offers in the summer from teams that will recognize his skill set as one of the better defenders in the league.
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