Johnny Green

John Michael Green (December 8, 1933 – November 16, 2023), nicknamed "Jumpin' Johnny", was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He was a four-time NBA All-Star.

Early life John Michael Green was born in Dayton, Ohio, on December 8, 1933. He attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Green was under six feet tall in high school and didn't play basketball. He worked part-time at a Dayton bowling alley and, after graduation, for a construction company and at a junkyard for six months before joining the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. It was while in the military that, at age 20, he sprouted to 6-foot-5 and played on the base's basketball team.

The Marine base football coach, Dick Evans, a Michigan State University (then College) alumnus, recognized Green's athletic ability and wrote a letter of recommendation to MSU basketball coach Forddy Anderson. Green, by then age 21, visited MSU while on leave in October 1955. They advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinal game, which they lost in triple overtime to eventual champion North Carolina despite Green's 19 rebounds and eight blocked shots. The Spartans finished the season winning 12 out of 13 games to end with a 16–10 overall record.

While in college, he was married and in 1957 Green's wife gave birth to sons Jeffery and Johnny.

Michigan State named an annual rebounding award in Green's honor. His jersey number 24 was retired by Michigan State.

Professional career Green was a first-round draft pick (fifth overall) in the 1959 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

In his rookie season of 1959–60 for the Knicks, during which he turned age 26, he played nearly 18 minutes per game, averaging 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds. On February 26, 1960, against the Philadelphia Warriors, he set a Knicks rookie record that still stands with 25 rebounds.

His playing time increased in 1960–61, when he averaged 10.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. He was a full-time starter in 1961–62, averaging 15.9 points and 13.3 rebounds, leading the team in rebounds with 1,066, He also led the Knicks in rebounding for a third consecutive season with 799.

He was traded along with Johnny Egan, Jim Barnes and cash from the Knicks to the Baltimore Bullets for Walt Bellamy on November 1, 1965. For the season, he averaged 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and his .536 field goal percentage ranked second in the league. In 1966–67 with the Bullets, in a part-time role he averaged 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.

The resurgence continued in 1970–71 – at age 37, he again led the NBA in field goal percentage at .587, averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game – and he was named an NBA all-star for the fourth time in his career. On December 20, 1970, he had one of his best-ever games, scoring a career-high 39 points in a one-point double-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons.

There wasn't much fall-off in 1971–72. Although he turned 38, he played in all 82 games, averaging 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He died at a hospital in Huntington, New York, on November 16, 2023, at the age of 89. Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season

Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG 1966 Baltimore 3 32.0 .588 .125 9.0 1.3 13.7 1968 Philadelphia 12 18.3 .585 .465 5.5 .7 8.0 1969 Philadelphia 5 8.8 .563 .556 2.8 .2 4.6Career 20 18.0 .583 .433 5.4 .7 8.0