Former Houston Rocket Gerald Green Comes Full Circle With BIG3 Finals MVP

Former Houston Rockets Gerald Green comes full circle with BIG3 championship.

Former Houston Rockets guard Gerald Green has had quite the basketball journey, which added another chapter Sunday night. Green helped his team, Bivouac, win the BIG3 2024 championship alongside another former Rocket, Corey Brewer. It was even more surreal for Gerald Green that his brother, Garlon Green, hit the game-winning shot.

The 2024 BIG3 Championship Highlights | @big3bivouac vs. @Big33scompany pic.twitter.com/XIplsefg5J

— BIG3 (@thebig3) August 18, 2024

It was a full circle moment for Green as he won the BIG3 Finals MVP Sunday night in Boston, where he started his NBA career. A career that took him worldwide, including twice with the Celtics.

Green has always been a fighter and has never backed down from a challenge. In the sixth grade, after attempting a dunk, the ring he was wearing on his right hand got caught in the basket and was damaged to the point that it had to be amputated.

That didn't slow Green down, as he was ranked the top prospect in the nation for the 2005 class. Green decided not to go to college and went straight to the NBA draft. Despite many experts believing he would be a lottery pick, he fell to the Boston Celtics at number No. 18.

Green had a slow start to his NBA career, bouncing between the bench and the occasional start. Even with the early struggles, Green made a name for himself by winning the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Despite that success, Green was part of a trade that sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2007-08 season. Green also participated again in the slam dunk contest that season but finished second to Dwight Howard.

Following the back-to-back slam dunk contests, Green continued to bounce around the league, playing for eleven teams before the 2017-18 season, including his hometown team, the Rockets, and several international teams.

Green's most successful NBA stint came in his second stint with the Rockets after signing with the Rockets in December 2017. Green had many memorable moments, including a game-winner on March 30 vs. the Phoenix Suns.

Green was also part of the 2018 Rockets, which took the eventual NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, to seven games in the Western Conference Finals. Green would play two more seasons with the Rockets before being waived in 2020. During his time with the Rockets, Green became one of the most beloved athletes in Houston, representing and embracing his hometown at every opportunity.

However, Green wasn't done with the Rockets, as he joined the coaching staff after announcing his retirement in 2021. Despite starting his coaching career Green felt he wasn't done with his playing career and decided to give it one more chance.

The BIG3 championship was not Green's first championship ring. In 2022, Green played for the Rockets' G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Green and Daishen Nix helped lead the Vipers to the G League championship in his only season.

After leaving the Vipers, Green joined Bivouac, a team in the Big3 league owned by Ice Cube. Coached by Hall of Famer Gary Payton Green helped Bivouac to its first championship,

The championship win in Boston and the final Most Valuable Player award were a full-circle moment for Green, who played his first season with the Celtics. Green talked about the experience.

“This is where it all started,” an emotional Green told SB Nation postgame. “This is the team that gave me a chance — in this building. I’m scoring my first NBA bucket in this building.”

Winning the championship meant even more for Gerald Green as he could share the victory with his brother and teammate, Garlon Green. Garlon Green talked about what it meant for him to win with his brother via SB Nation.

“My brother was drafted here, and it’s special to me,” Garlon Green said. “A small back story with me — I was on about five years ago. Had a little bit of shame — my brother was killing it, and I felt a little bit like I let my brother down. To be able to come back here, where he was drafted, where he played most of his career, and help him win a championship, it gives me chills.”

Gerald Green's career has taken him from his childhood years in Houston, Texas, to the NBA and now, two decades after his professional basketball career, to a championship in the BIG3. It has been quite a career for the unofficial Mayor of Houston, Gerald Green.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.