UNC Basketball: Danny Green captures third NBA title

Former UNC basketball standout Danny Green has captured his third NBA title in 11 years.

With a deciding Game 6 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night, Danny Green and the Los Angeles Lakers are the 2020 NBA Finals champions. It’s the second consecutive season for Green after winning a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and the third of his 11-year NBA career.

Along with Finals MVP LeBron James, Green has now won a title with three different organizations. He’s now one of just four players in league history to accomplish that feat. His first came in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs, which is when his reputation as a big-time playoff shot-maker really took off. This year’s playoff run hasn’t been as easy for Green, who’s struggled to hit shots throughout his time in the NBA bubble.

He did, however, finish on a high note, scoring 11 points and pulling down five rebounds on Sunday. He knocked down three more three-pointers in the final game of the season, and moved into 13th-place all-time on the NBA’s list of three-pointers made in the playoffs. He passed former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, and now sits just eight three-pointers behind Boston Celtics great and future Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce.

We don’t yet know if Green will return to the Lakers next season, but we know that the three-time Finals winner will have a home somewhere in the league. Given his track record, there’s a good chance that whatever team he ends up with will be making a deep playoff run.

Congrats, Danny. You deserve this.

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