The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals to capture the franchise's 17th NBA Championship. The title was not only LeBron James' third with a new team, but also Danny Green's. Green's road to the NBA Championship, however, wasn't easy.
With just under nine seconds remaining in Game 5 in which the Miami Heat were leading 109-108, LeBron James drove to the basket and found a wide open Danny Green at the top of the key. Green, who was closed out on quickly by Andre Iguodala, missed the potential go-ahead three-pointer. The Lakers got the offensive rebound, but were in scramble mode, which resulted in a turnover.
The missed three-pointer for Green brought on death threats from Lakers fans. Fans went at both him and his fiancé on social media, expressing their anger and emotions over the missed shot as if it were the end of the world.
Danny Green recently joined ClutchPoints' Battle for LA Podcast with Tomer Azarly to talk about the Lakers championship run, life inside the bubble, and the death threats he received, among other topics.
“I don't like to use the term dark time for me or dark place,” Green told me when I asked if that's how he'd best describe it. “I don't like to look at things on a negative context or in a negative light I would always try to find the positive. But I do say is it was tough and it wasn't easy. Being in LA some months previous to being in the bubble and being a part of the Lakers organization, I know what comes with it. I was used to the criticism and things like that. But when you're the only sport playing at one point and everything is focused on you guys and basketball, everything is more magnified. So it's tough man. It's a tough situation, it was tough times and it wasn't easy being in that area, being in the scenario. But now we've gotten used to it and adapted to it a little bit so if it happens again, obviously, we know how to operate in it. But hopefully it doesn't happen again.”
Danny Green was a member of the 2013 San Antonio Spurs that were up five points with 28 seconds to go in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and ended up losing the title clinching game. They also ended up losing Game 7, losing the series despite Green averaging 14 points per game, shooting 55.1 percent from beyond the arc, and knocking down a then-NBA Finals record 27 three-pointers. It doesn't get any worse than that, but he and the Spurs rebounded to win the NBA Championship the following year.
“It wasn't easy, it was tough,” he added. “It's a lot of stuff that I don't take seriously. It wasn't the first time I've gotten threats or criticism. I've got threats before and cussing in every city I've played in so it's part of the game it comes with it, it comes with the territory so just take it for what it is block out the noise, block the accounts of fake people trying to message you whatever ignore everything else trying to stay off social media. try to stay off of sports channels, basketball talk, and try to escape as best as you can while you're in there and stay fresh so that when you do play the game, you're not burnt out.”
Green helped the Lakers to the tune of 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers on 41.6 percent shooting this season.
You can follow Tomer Azarly for all your Clippers and NBA news on Twitter and Instagram.
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