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Sixers' Danny Green Reacts to North Carolina HC Roy Williams' Retirement

Danny Green had nothing but great things to say about Roy Williams on Thursday.

Justin Grasso

Sixers' Danny Green Reacts to North Carolina HC Roy Williams' Retirement
Sixers' Danny Green Reacts to North Carolina HC Roy Williams' Retirement /

Since the 2003 NCAA season, Roy Williams has led the charge in coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels. During his 18-year stint as the Tar Heels head coach, Williams coached his team to three Division I Tournament Championships.

He was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year and the USA Today Coach of the Year in 2019. Although Williams has had success at Kansas as a head coach too, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 during his stint at UNC.

At this point, the 70-year-old legendary head coach has nothing left to prove. Therefore, on Thursday morning, Roy Williams announced his retirement, according to a press release, which the school put out.

A few hours after the news made its rounds within the basketball world, Philadelphia 76ers veteran and former UNC Tar Heel Danny Green reacted to Williams' decision to hang it up after a long and successful career.

"You know, he's like a father figure," Green said in regards to his former college coach. "I became a man at school there. Four years there, he taught me a lot about stuff, not just about the game of basketball, but about life."

Green got his start at North Carolina in 2005, during the early years of Williams' stint. The Sixers veteran appeared in 145 games over a four-year span at UNC. Following the 2008-2009 season, Green declared for the NBA Draft and wrapped up a successful stint under Williams on the Tar Heels.

"I'm happy for him," Green continued. "Hopefully, he's at peace. He had a hell of a career. I want to congratulate him. He's always been more than a coach to me. He taught me how to be a man and how to do things the right thing. That school knows what it means to me -- he knows what he means to me. I'm happy for him."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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