Wikipedia

Willie Green

For other people named Willie Green, see Willie Green (disambiguation).

William Julius Green (born July 28, 1981) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played professionally in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic. He was selected in the second round (41st pick overall) of the 2003 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and later acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers from Seattle in a draft-night trade for the draft rights to Paccelis Morlende (50th pick overall) and cash considerations.

Willie Green
Green with the Clippers in 2013
New Orleans Pelicans
PositionHead coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1981-07-28) July 28, 1981 (age 43)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolCooley (Detroit, Michigan)
CollegeDetroit Mercy (1999–2003)
NBA draft2003: 2nd round, 41st overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career2003–2015
PositionShooting guard
Number33, 34
Coaching career2016–present
Career history
As player:
2003–2010Philadelphia 76ers
2010–2011New Orleans Hornets
2011–2012Atlanta Hawks
2012–2014Los Angeles Clippers
2014–2015Orlando Magic
As coach:
2016–2019Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2019–2021Phoenix Suns (assistant)
2021–presentNew Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Professional career

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Philadelphia 76ers (2003–2010)

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Green was a 1999 graduate of Cooley High School; after a college career at the University of Detroit Mercy, he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (41st overall) of the 2003 NBA draft. He was traded the same day to the Philadelphia 76ers[1] for the draft rights to Paccelis Morlende and cash considerations.

Green was due to re-sign with the Sixers during the 2005 offseason, but suffered an injury the day of the contract signing, which put the contract in a state of limbo. On March 23, 2006, he officially re-signed with the Sixers,[1] and on April 4, 2006, he was activated and played 11 minutes, scoring 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[2]

Green, in the final Sixers game of the 2006–07 season, had a career-high 37 points against the Toronto Raptors on April 4, 2007.[3]

Green beat out Rodney Carney for the Sixers starting shooting guard position. During the 2007–08 NBA season, Green had career highs in games played (74, all of them as a starter), minutes played (26.6), field goal percentage (.436), rebounds (2.5), assists (2.0), and points (12.4).

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2011)

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Green was traded to New Orleans with forward Jason Smith in exchange for forward Darius Songaila and rookie forward Craig Brackins on September 23, 2010.[4]

Atlanta Hawks (2011–2012)

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On December 22, 2011, Green signed with the Atlanta Hawks.[5]

Los Angeles Clippers (2012–2014)

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On July 30, 2012, Green was signed-and-traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis.[6][7]

On June 29, 2014, he was waived by the Clippers.[8]

Orlando Magic (2014–2015)

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On June 30, 2014, Green was claimed off waivers by the Orlando Magic.[9]

Coaching career

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Assistant coach (2016-2021)

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On August 9, 2016, Green was hired by the Golden State Warriors coaching staff as an assistant coach.[10] He won his first championship when the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games of the 2017 NBA Finals. Green won his second straight championship when the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in four games of the 2018 NBA Finals.

On June 26, 2019, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns.[11]

New Orleans Pelicans (2021–present)

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On July 22, 2021, Green was named head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.[12] After starting the season 1–12, Green led the Pelicans to a 36–46 record, finishing ninth in the Western Conference and securing a spot in the NBA play-in tournament. The Pelicans would go on to beat the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers en route to their first playoff berth since the 2017–18 season. Green and the Pelicans would ultimately fall to the Phoenix Suns, Green's former team, in six games in the First Round.[13]

Green and the Pelicans started the 2022–23 season off strong, tied with the Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference at the start of 2023 with a 23–12 record.[14] However, injuries to multiple players, including Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, saw the team regress significantly during the second-half of the season. The Pelicans ended up in ninth place in the Western Conference, making the play-in tournament for the second consecutive season. Their season ended with a 123–118 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 12, 2023.[15] Despite their struggles, Green and the Pelicans finished the regular season with a 42–40 record, marking Green's first winning season as a head coach.

Awards

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  • Midwestern Collegiate Conference All-Newcomer Team: 2000[16]
  • Second Team All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference: 2001[16]
  • Horizon League Scoring Leader: 2003[16]
  • Horizon League All-Tournament Team: 2003[16]
  • All-Horizon First Team: 2003[16]
  • Horizon League Player of the Year: 2003[16]
  • Honorable Mention All-America by AP: 2003[16]
  • Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team: 2003[16]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Philadelphia 53 0 14.5 .401 .311 .728 1.2 1.0 .5 .1 6.9
2004–05 Philadelphia 57 21 18.7 .366 .286 .776 2.3 1.8 .6 .1 7.7
2005–06 Philadelphia 10 2 15.3 .424 .526 .800 1.5 .5 .2 .0 7.0
2006–07 Philadelphia 74 36 24.9 .411 .325 .667 2.1 1.5 .8 .1 11.3
2007–08 Philadelphia 74 74 26.6 .436 .285 .757 2.5 2.0 .7 .3 12.4
2008–09 Philadelphia 81 60 22.6 .435 .317 .729 1.6 2.0 .7 .2 8.5
2009–10 Philadelphia 73 18 21.3 .457 .346 .833 1.8 2.1 .4 .2 8.7
2010–11 New Orleans 77 13 21.7 .443 .348 .780 2.1 1.0 .5 .2 8.7
2011–12 Atlanta 53 2 17.4 .471 .442 .857 1.5 .8 .4 .1 7.6
2012–13 L.A. Clippers 72 60 16.5 .461 .428 .719 1.3 .8 .4 .2 6.3
2013–14 L.A. Clippers 55 9 15.8 .376 .339 .824 1.4 .9 .4 .2 5.0
2014–15 Orlando 52 2 18.3 .386 .347 .824 1.5 1.3 .5 .1 5.9
Career 731 297 20.2 .425 .346 .765 1.8 1.4 .5 .1 8.3

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005 Philadelphia 5 0 12.6 .444 .222 .900 1.8 .6 .2 .0 5.4
2008 Philadelphia 6 6 23.7 .431 .200 .643 1.3 2.0 .8 .7 9.0
2009 Philadelphia 6 6 24.7 .412 .364 .333 1.0 1.2 .0 .2 7.8
2011 New Orleans 6 0 14.0 .389 .222 .571 .8 .7 .3 .0 5.7
2012 Atlanta 5 0 12.6 .462 .250 .000 1.6 .6 .0 .0 2.6
2013 L.A. Clippers 3 0 6.7 .667 .000 1.000 1.0 .7 .3 .0 2.0
2014 L.A. Clippers 5 0 3.8 .200 .250 1.000 1.4 .2 .6 .0 1.0
Career 36 12 15.0 .418 .256 .711 1.3 .9 .3 .1 5.2

Head coaching record

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
New Orleans 2021–22 82 36 46 .439 3rd in Southwest 6 2 4 .333 Lost in First Round
New Orleans 2022–23 82 42 40 .512 2nd in Southwest — — — — Missed playoffs
New Orleans 2023–24 82 49 33 .598 2nd in Southwest 4 0 4 .000 Lost in First Round
Career 246 127 119 .516   10 2 8 .200  

See also

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  • Disappearance of Toni Sharpless, 2009 missing persons case of a woman not seen since shortly after she left Green's house at the time; he was cleared of any involvement

References

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  1. ^ a b Green returns to Sixers after aborted summer deal - NBA - ESPN
  2. ^ Willie Green Game By Game Stats and Performance - Atlanta Hawks - ESPN
  3. ^ Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors - Recap - April 18, 2007 - ESPN
  4. ^ "Rookie Craig Brackins traded to 76ers". September 23, 2010.
  5. ^ Atlanta Hawks sign guard Willie Green
  6. ^ CLIPPERS ACQUIRE GUARD WILLIE GREEN FROM ATLANTA
  7. ^ ATLANTA HAWKS SEND WILLIE GREEN TO CLIPPERS IN SIGN-AND-TRADE DEAL
  8. ^ CLIPPERS WAIVE WILLIE GREEN
  9. ^ Magic Claim Willie Green Off Waivers
  10. ^ "Warriors Hire Willie Green as Assistant Coach/Player Development". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "Phoenix Suns announce complete coaching staff". NBA.com.
  12. ^ "Willie Green named New Orleans Pelicans head coach". NBA.com. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  13. ^ Guillory, William. "Pelicans, who kept believing after a 1–12 start, clinch a Play-In Tournament spot". The Athletic.
  14. ^ Kimble, Tracy (December 10, 2022). "Pelicans Win Duel With Suns, Remain Best in the West". SI.
  15. ^ AP. "Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder past Pelicans in play-in". ESPN.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h HoopsHype – Willie Green
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