Before the Houston Rockets' home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gerald Green announced that he is retiring and joining the Rockets' coaching staff in a player development coach position. ClutchPoints' Salman Ali said that Green had previously discussed coaching with Houston GM Rafael Stone.

“I know when all this is over I'm probably going to go to the bathroom and cry like a baby… I sleep, eat, breathe Houston. It's all over my body. I may be the only coach with tattoos like this,” Green told reporters.

The 35-year-old Green has not played since the 2018-19 season due to injury, prompting his decision to move into a new stage of his life. The Houston native joined his hometown Rockets in 2017 and played two seasons with them alongside James Harden and Chris Paul.

Green played 12 seasons in the NBA with eight total teams as a shooting guard and small forward. He was one of the most entertaining dunkers of his era and averaged 9.7 points in 19.8 minutes per game in 658 games, which included 118 starts. He was a McDonald's All American and was drafted 18th overall in the 2005 draft straight out of high school.

With the rebuilding Rockets, Green will have plenty of young talent to help nurture. Houston has three athletic shooting guards in Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green and Josh Christopher for Green to develop. They also have young bigs Kenyon Maritn Jr., Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba.