Former Houston Rocket Gerald Green closes the circle with the award as MVP of the BIG 3 Finals

Former Houston Rockets guard Gerald Green has had a remarkable basketball career, and it added another chapter on Sunday night. Green helped his team Bivouac win the 2024 BIG3 championship alongside another former Rocket, Corey Brewer. Even more surreal for Gerald Green was that his brother Garlon Green made the game-winning shot.

For Green, things came full circle when he was named BIG3 Finals MVP on Sunday night in Boston, where he began his NBA career – a career that has taken him all over the world, including twice with the Celtics.

Green has always been a fighter and has never backed down from a challenge. In sixth grade, the ring he wore on his right hand got caught in the basket after a dunk attempt and was so damaged that it had to be amputated.

That didn’t slow Green down, however, as he was rated as the nation’s top prospect for the class of 2005. Green decided not to go to college and went straight to the NBA Draft. Although many experts believed he would be a lottery pick, he ended up being drafted 18th overall by the Boston Celtics.

Green had a slow start to his NBA career, alternating between the bench and occasional starts. Despite the early struggles, Green made a name for himself by winning the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Despite this success, Green was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2007-08 season. That season, Green again participated in the Slam Dunk Contest, but finished second behind Dwight Howard.

Following the back-to-back slam dunk contests, Green continued to move between leagues, playing for 11 teams prior to the 2017–18 season, including his hometown team, the Rockets, and several international teams.

Green’s most successful NBA season was his second with the Rockets after signing with them in December 2017. Green had many memorable moments, including a game-winning goal on March 30 against the Phoenix Suns.

Green was also part of the 2018 Rockets that defeated the eventual NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. Green played two more seasons with the Rockets before being released in 2020. During his time with the Rockets, Green became one of the most popular athletes in Houston, representing and supporting his hometown at every opportunity.

However, Green wasn’t done with the Rockets yet, as he joined the coaching staff after announcing his retirement in 2021. Although he was already a coach, Green felt he wasn’t done with his playing career and decided to give it another chance.

The BIG3 Championship was not Green’s first championship ring. In 2022, Green played for the Rockets’ G-League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Green and Daishen Nix helped lead the Vipers to the G-League Championship in his only season.

After leaving the Vipers, Green joined Bivouac, a team in Ice Cube’s Big3 league. Under the coach of Hall of Famer Gary Payton, Green helped Bivouac to its first championship.

With the championship win in Boston and the final Most Valuable Player award, things came full circle for Green, who played his first season with the Celtics. Green spoke about the experience.

“This is where it all started,” an emotional Green told SB Nation after the game. “This is the team that gave me a chance – in this building. In this building, I’m going to score my first NBA basket.”

Winning the championship meant even more to Gerald Green because he was able to share the win with his brother and teammate Garlon Green. Garlon Green spoke on SB Nation about what it meant to him to win with his brother.

“My brother was drafted here and this is special to me,” said Garlon Green. “A little backstory for me – I was here about five years ago. I was a little embarrassed – my brother was doing great and I felt like I let him down. To come back here where he was drafted, where he played most of his career and help him win a championship, it gives me goosebumps.”

Gerald Green’s career took him from his childhood in Houston, Texas, to the NBA and then to a championship in the BIG3 two decades after his professional basketball career. It’s been quite a career for the unofficial mayor of Houston, Gerald Green.

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