Houston native Gerald Green basketball journey has taken a new turn. While the 6’6″ 38-year-old high-flying shooting guard might have retired from the NBA, his professional playing career in America is far from over. Thanks to hip-hop and movie mogul Ice Cube and his BIG3 basketball league, a lot of former NBA, college, international and many basketball journeymen are given the opportunity to prolong their professional careers, and Green is taking full advantage of this opportunity.
Green is a player captain for team Bivouac, coached by Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton, and includes Gerald’s brother, Garlon Green, a 2016 Bundesliga All-Star, 13-year veteran forward Corey Brewer, and 2014 NBA Champion Austin Daye.
In their first game of the season against the three-time champs, Trilogy, Green played exceptionally well. He finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 made 3-pointers and most importantly, his team got the dub.
“There’s a saying in golf: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” If we were to tweak that saying for the NBA, it would be something like “Dunks will put you on the highlight reel, but shooting will keep you on the payroll,'” said Green on the BIG3’s website.
His performance was so impressive that it earned an Instagram clip from one of the most popular basketball platforms, Ballislife. The highlight they posted captioned: “Gerald Green was handing out straight BUCKETS at The Big 3.” The post has since then gained over 71,000 likes and is still getting attention.
His play also caught the eyes of his former teammate, who now plays for the Golden State Warriors, Chris Paul. There were over 390 comments on the post, and Paul chimed in on one of them, labeling Green a “KILLA” with three flame emojis.
Green and Paul played together in 2018-19 for the Houston Rockets. Green averaged 9.2 points on 40 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. That Rockets team was one of the best in the NBA that year. Along with Paul and Green, the roster included prime James Harden, prime Clint Capela and P.J. Tucker. The Rockets were also one game away from making a finals appearance as they made the NBA playoffs in both seasons, and they reached Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in 2018.
In the 2005 NBA Draft, Green was selected directly from Gulf Shore Academy High School by the Boston Celtics as the 18th overall pick. Interestingly, CP was also part of that draft and was the 4th pick by the then-New Orleans Hornets, now known as the Pelicans.
Green had a career spanning 12 seasons in the NBA, playing for various teams, including the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He also played professionally overseas in Russia and China.
His career averages consist of 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, with a field goal percentage of 41.7 percent and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.7 percent, including making 962 three-pointers in 658 regular season games. Additionally, Green has participated in 68 NBA playoff games, with seven starts. Green also won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk contest, beating Nate Robinson, Tyrus Thomas and Dwight Howard.
Green most recent achievement was securing the 2022 G-League Championship with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, showcasing his abilities with an average of 18 points and 5.1 rebounds. Before this achievement, he worked as a player development coach with the Rockets during the 2021-22 season.
This isn’t Green’s first season playing in the BIG3. He made his league debut in the summer of 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the top players. He received the mid-season Rookie of the Year award and averaged an impressive 23.3 points per game, ranking 3rd in the league at the time. Green demonstrated exceptional shooting skills by maintaining an impressive field goal percentage of 47.3 and a remarkable three-point shooting percentage of 45.2, leading the BIG3 with 14 successful three-pointers. Additionally, he secured an average of 7.5 rebounds per game, placing him 8th in the league.
For those unfamiliar with the BIG3 basketball league, it is the first-ever professional FIREBALL3 league, which is basically 3-on-3 half-court basketball. It was founded by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017 and is now in its seventh season. According to the league’s website, ” The BIG3 is a league with no garbage minutes, where trash talk is allowed, defense is emphasized, fast-paced action, and where every point –whether it’s a 4-point or 3-point shot – counts. Any given BIG3 team has hall of famers, icons and trailblazers, and the next best 3-on-3 player.” That’s right, they have a 4-point line.
Other noteworthy players who are competing in the BIG3 include 2021 NBA champion and NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, veteran Greg Monroe, four-time All-Star Paul Millsap, the three-time BIG3 MVP Joe Johnson, who spent 19 seasons in the NBA and made the NBA All-Star game seven times, Al Jefferson, NBA Dunk Champion Jason Richardson, Franklin Session, Glen Rice Jr., Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley and more.
Earlier this year, the BIG3 made major headlines because they offered the No.1 overall pick of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark, $5 million to play in eight games.
The offer to join the Big3 next season, extended to Cube and his partner Kwatinetz by the founder and CEO of production company/record label/management agency The Firm, is not simply a marketing ploy. They assert that it is a genuine business decision based on a rare opportunity.
“It’s really about being a fan: Being a fan of the game, being a fan of my heroes, like Dr. J, Iceman, Rick Barry and Gary Payton,” Ice Cube told ADWEEK. “And making sure if you’re gonna invite them to dinner, you better not have no fucking paper plates. Pull out the good stuff.”
As of now, Clark is playing for the Indiana Fever and is one of the top rookies in her class. She is averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. In her game against the Chicago Sky, where No. 7 pick of the WNBA draft Angel Reese plays, Clark finished with 23 points 9 rebounds, and 8 assists and became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200 points, 75 rebounds, 75 assists. Reese finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Reese leads all rookies in rebounds, steals and double-doubles.
