Former Boston Celtics wing Jeff Green won his first championship in his 16-year NBA career on June 12 with the Denver Nuggets, as they beat the Miami Heat 4-1 to take home the franchise’s very first title.
Shortly after the Nuggets won it all, Jeff Green spoke with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt about the journey he’s taken to get to this point.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Green told Van Pelt, per NBA’s YouTube channel. “This is what you live for. This is all the sacrifice, all the blessings and tears that count as ours. For me, going through the surgery, like you said, 11 teams, adapted to every environment — this is what it’s all for. All that sacrifice, it paid off.”
Green was originally drafted by the Celtics in 2007 before he was traded on draft day to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Ray Allen. Green was then traded back to the Celtics in 2011 at the NBA Trade Deadline in exchange for Kendrick Perkins. As he brought up to Van Pelt, Green would go on to miss the entirety of the 2011-12 season to undergo heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. Green would play for the Celtics until 2015, when he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Green has bounced around a lot in the NBA between when he left the Celtics and when he joined the Nuggets. In fact, the Nuggets are the first team that Green has stayed in one place in back-to-back NBA seasons since his time with the Celtics.
Jeff Green Praises Kevin Garnett’s Influence
While talking with reporters on June 3, Green singled out Celtics legend Kevin Garnett for his influence on Green during their time as teammates.
“When I was with Boston, I didn’t talk much. I was very quiet. But now, I can’t stop talking, so I guess to a small extent, I’m like [Kevin Garnett]. I think being vocal is big. I think that’s something that a player should get comfortable with when you’re younger,” Green said.
Green then got more specific on what Garnett used to tell him back when they were teammates.
“He used to tell me all the time, ‘You gotta speak up. You gotta talk. You gotta talk!’ continually. I hear him, but being comfortable in that situation of doing is tough to step out of your comfort zone. I didn’t realize that until late. I wish that was something that I did earlier. I think he’s one that sticks out because that’s something I should have started earlier.”
Jeff Green says Kevin Garnett helped him become more vocal:
“When I was with Boston, I didn’t talk much, I was very quiet. But now, I can’t stop talking, so I guess to a small extent, I’m like [Kevin Garnett]. I think being vocal is big… He used to tell me all the time, ‘you…
Garnett and Green were teammates from 2011 to 2013.
Isaiah Thomas Congratulates Nuggets
After the Nuggets won the championship, former Celtics MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas shouted out his former team on his personal Twitter for getting the job done.
“(Shout out) to the Denver Nuggets!!! So happy for all my guys in that organization,” Thomas tweeted.
S/o to the Denver Nuggets!!! So happy for all my guys in that organization
Thomas played for the Nuggets during the 2018-19 season but did not play very many games, having played 12 in total. In those 12 games, Thomas averaged 8.1 points while shooting 34.3% from the field and 27.9% from three.
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Ex-Celtic Jeff Green Reflects on 11-Team Journey to Win NBA Title