There have been four players in NBA history to win at least three championships with three different organizations. Robert Horry (seven championships), John Salley (four championships), and LeBron James (three championships) are three of these players to be in this unique club.
The other is Danny Green, who won three championships with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers over the course of his 15-year career, which officially came to an end in 2024 when he announced he retirement.
Although Green may not have been an All-Star or the best player on his team, he was always highly respected around the league for being one of the better two-way guards and secondary players on his teams' rosters. Younger players always looked to Green as a mentor given his knowledge and experience playing for six different organizations, and stars around the NBA always wanted him by their side.
And it's not like Green rode the bench during the three championship journeys he was a part of, as the longtime shooting guard was an essential piece to all three title runs.
Green led the Spurs in 3-pointers (177) during the 2012-13 season, and he finished the season ranking eighth in the league in 3-pointers. He again led his team in triples (198) during the 2018-19 season with the Toronto Raptors when they ended the Golden State Warriors' quest for three straight titles.
The very next season, Green won his third and final ring as an essential two-way player on the wing for the Lakers, trailing only LeBron James for the most made perimeter shots on the team.
Throughout Green's 15-year NBA career, championship success followed him everywhere. That is why he knows a thing or two about playing in the postseason and during the month of June.
While he may not play in the NBA anymore, Green is still highly involved as a new-age media member. As he dissects the 2025-26 season with the rest of us, he can't help but notice how special the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder truly are.
“Their depth is unbelievable. It’s tough to navigate that. The way that organization has developed their younger guys, and done so without anyone having a major ego, is remarkable,” Green told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. “With all of these guys being able to hold multiple roles and roll out different lineups, the Thunder are always super unpredictable even though you know what to expect.”
For these reasons is why Green is choosing the Thunder to be his pick for the 2026 NBA Finals.
“If they stay healthy, they have the depth to win again.”
Outside of focusing on the Thunder and comparing their championship excellence to his own, Green is locked into several other storylines around the league entering the new season, especially pertaining to LeBron James.
Now in his 23rd season, LeBron James has redefined what longevity means for a professional athlete. He may have missed the Lakers' first game of the season and is still a few weeks away from making his debut, but James is still viewed as one of the best players in the league at 40 years old.
How much longer will LeBron actually play in the NBA?
Green, who spent a couple of years with James during his 15-year career, believes the end is closing in.
“I think that moment will come either after this year or after next year – his body will let him know,” Green said. “Missing the start of this season definitely takes a toll on him mentally, and not being able to potentially make an All-NBA team would definitely impact him. LeBron is the type of guy who takes a lot of pride in his availability and his body.
“I think his body will tell him when it’s time. But I think he has one more year after this one.”
With all 30 teams back in action for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, Danny Green spoke with ClutchPoints for an exclusive one-on-one conversation detailing his retirement and previewing the key storylines around the league entering the new season.
It’s officially been one year since you retired. How has retirement treated you to this point, and do you ever wake up and have that weird feeling you still belong on the court or in the practice gym?
Danny Green: (Danny laughs) Retirement is good. It’s a blessing to be where I am. I have two little ones now, so I am glad to be able to be here for them and be in their life instead of constantly traveling around. Do I wake up and think I still belong in the gym? Definitely. I still go to the gym a lot to stay in shape and work out, but I don’t think I belong on an NBA court. That’s the difference.
I definitely miss it sometimes, especially when I watch the playoffs. But I would be doing my organization a disservice to go out there and play at this point. I could be a great locker room guy, but I am at peace with where I am. I definitely still wake up though and think I am still in the NBA. Being at ESPN is a dream, and I am excited to continue being a part of the league in this capacity as a media member.
What was your most memorable moment as a player over your 15-year career?
Green: I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great memories. It’s hard to pinpoint one particular moment because I’ve been lucky enough to win a collegiate championship and three NBA championships, as well as play with some of the greatest players ever. Playing against Duke and beating them is definitely up there on the list, though.
(2008) Danny Green with the nasty poster against Duke!@DGreen_14 📸 pic.twitter.com/XuCLruJChJ
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) March 26, 2020
Winning a championship in college was great. Winning that first NBA championship was great. Beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Beating the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors. Having career highs and unbelievable moments in the playoffs. All of these great moments made me who I am. There’s not one specific moment that stands out to me. I’ve been lucky enough to have a long, sustainable NBA career with three championships.
Speaking of championships, the Thunder are one of the youngest teams to ever win a title, and it seems like they’re just getting started. From a player’s perspective, what makes them such a difficult matchup for anyone in the league outside of the fact that they have a generational talent in SGA?
Green: Their depth is unbelievable. It’s tough to navigate that. The way that organization has developed their younger guys, and done so without anyone having a major ego, is remarkable. Guys like Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort are essential to their championship equation. It’s more than just Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that’s what makes any great championship team. You have to have more than just one star.
Isaiah Hartenstein did an unbelievable job in his first year next to Chet Holmgren, and those two are definitely the most underrated frontcourt in the league. With all of these guys being able to hold multiple roles and roll out different lineups, the Thunder are always super unpredictable even though you know what to expect. Shai and Jalen Williams are two unbelievably talented players, and Holmgren is right there as well. Those two guys leading the group makes them a very entertaining team to watch.
Do you think Oklahoma City has created a gap for themselves after winning a championship compared to the rest of the league, or have other teams tightened things with moves they made this offseason?
Green: Not a huge gap. They definitely have created a gap between them and most teams, but not all. Some teams have made some really strong moves to remain in reach, and some haven’t. To me, the two contenders in the East are the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. In the West, the Denver Nuggets are a team you have to look at as being right there with OKC. When the Houston Rockets are healthy, they will be right there.
People are forgetting about the Minnesota Timberwolves too, and they deserve everyone’s respect for what they’re building. The Los Angeles Lakers are a team to watch if Deandre Ayton can play well, and you don’t want to see Luka Doncic and LeBron James together in the playoffs. The LA Clippers have a really strong veteran team. The Golden State Warriors are another one with Hall of Fame veterans. That system is extremely tough to beat in the playoffs. The West is super strong, but only a couple teams have closed the gap and remained close with Oklahoma City.
Are you taking the Thunder to win it again, or is there another team you have your eyes on?
Green: Yeah, definitely the Thunder. You have to give them their respect as the defending champions. If they stay healthy, they have the depth to win again. The only other team I could see is Denver. I like the additions they made, but it will come down to health and coaching. We have to see what David Adelman does in his first full year.
Keeping it in the West: the Warriors continue to push ahead with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and they had a full offseason to work with Jimmy Butler and Al Horford. After being one of the best teams in the league during the second half of the 2024-25 season, do you think that trend continues?
Green: I would like to think so. Then again, being a year older definitely makes it tougher, and that’s something not a lot of NBA fans understand and sort of brush to the side many times. All of those guys are a year older, and the league as a whole is getting younger, with more teams getting better in the process. But this is a team that has not changed their system, and it’s continued to work for them.
Steve Kerr crafted one of the best offenses with Stephen Curry, and what goes unnoticed is how good Golden State has always been on defense during their championship years. Guys like Jimmy (Butler) and Draymond (Green) can anchor the defense to allow young guys like Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga to thrive in transition and offensively. The Warriors have a really good mix of veteran and young guys to make something special happen.
The storylines surrounding Steph Curry this late in his career continue to write themselves, and we can say the same about LeBron James and the Lakers. You spent time with LeBron on two different teams and went against him throughout your career. How would you sum up his now 23 years in the NBA?
Green: (Danny laughs) Unbelievable. People are still trying to figure him out at 40 years old and entering his 23rd season. That’s ridiculous. People can discredit him all they want, but this is the greatest career we’ve ever seen in the history of the NBA. It’s that simple. There’s an argument of who the greatest ever is, and you can have that debate separately, but to me, it’s undeniable that LeBron has had the best career of all time. I think that’s a different debate from who the greatest player of all time is. To do this for 23 years at this level has never been done. His career has been unbelievable.
Nobody knows how much longer LeBron will play. Many around the league thought he would announce that Year 23 would be it, but that announcement has not come, and it seems like he will truly enter free agency next offseason thinking about where he wants to end his career. How much longer do you think he will play, and will he be back in Los Angeles for the 2026-27 season?
Green: I think so. It depends on whether he retires after this year. I think that moment will come either after this year or after next year – his body will let him know. Missing the start of this season definitely takes a toll on him mentally, and not being able to potentially make an All-NBA team would definitely impact him. LeBron is the type of guy who takes a lot of pride in his availability and his body. When things start happening and he can’t be out there on the floor every night, that’s when I think the gears will begin turning regarding retirement.
To be an All-Star for the last 21 years is ridiculous. If he starts having injuries this year, though, this may be the last time we see LeBron James. I think his body will tell him when it’s time. But I think he has one more year after this one.
Outside of the Thunder, Steph Curry, and LeBron James, what is the biggest storyline you are watching entering the 2025-26 season?
Green: I think there is a lot of pressure to win across the NBA. It’s make-or-break for many of these teams. Cleveland, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and the Clippers are all facing that win-or-break-it-up scenario. They all face that championship-or-bust situation. Milwaukee could be ready to break things up with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) by midseason if everything doesn’t go their way. They all need to win.
What is your biggest, boldest prediction for the 2025-26 season?
Green: Honestly, I am more interested to see what happens with some of my old teams than anything else because they all have unique angles to follow. The San Antonio Spurs should be ready to turn the corner with their young guys and Victor Wembanyama leading the charge. I do think the Toronto Raptors will make the playoffs this year in the East, so maybe that can be considered a bold take. For the Lakers, I think their success comes down to Ayton’s impact. He is the key to the Lakers’ success. Outside of them, I don’t think there is one big prediction that I am zoned in on. I’m definitely not the guy with the hot takes!
When you entered the league in 2009, the game looked a lot different than it does now. What would you say has been the biggest change over the last decade, and do you think the NBA is in a better place now than in years prior?
Green: The game has evolved so much, and it continues to grow. I would say that there are some things that the older players, the “old heads” and guys out of the league, would complain about, but the talent has been unbelievable. People always complain about the lack of physicality, but we just saw in the preseason that the officials are letting a lot more go and letting these guys play.
The foul baiting is one thing I hope they continue to look at and look to outlaw, especially in the playoffs. Overall, the league has done a great job. The NBA Cup has been great. The rule changes have been great, especially the free shot at the end of quarter and halves that don’t impact shooting percentages. The league is in a great spot. I like the fact that we are seeing an emergence of talent, who are also a mix of the old and the new.
If Adam Silver came up to you and granted you the power to be commissioner for the day, what is one thing you would immediately look to change?
Green: That’s a really good question. I don’t want Adam’s job! I’m a defensive guy, so I am biased on that side. But I would love to be able to see defenses have more freedom when it comes to physicality. I hate the foul baiting across the league. There are some guys who just play to get fouled instead of playing actual basketball. Referees officiate everyone differently, and that’s fine, but I think the main thing I would change is the way in which these foul baits are called.
We would see a big difference in the game if there was less flopping and we actually enforced those fines and held players accountable. Let’s give more technicals for the flopping. Referees are good, but the players are better, especially at acting. Another thing is the challenges. We should give teams two challenges a game – one challenge a half.
Any final thoughts on the upcoming season, and what's in store for you this year?
Green: Inside the Green Room has been going on for 17 years now, and I enjoy doing that. I am obviously doing some stuff with ESPN, and I am also joining the Spectrum team in LA this year to help out covering some Lakers games. Having my feet wet in a few different areas of media is definitely rewarding. I may even call some games this year, so I am just trying to see what I like and do a lot of different things to diversify my post-NBA life. I could never imagine life without basketball when I was playing, but I'm still very involved with the game despite no longer being a player.
