After 15 seasons and 3 NBA championships, Danny Green has decided to shut the closet on his jersey, or rather we say jerseys. One of the most successful 2nd round draft picks in a league where talents vanquish left and right, Green survived and survived in style. Shams Charania made the announcement today before Green himself could’ve done it on his podcast, Inside The Green Room With Danny Green.

The former Sixer did not play another minute in the NBA after the franchise waived him in Nov. 2023. In the 832 games that Green played on the hardwood, he managed to average 8.7 points while shooting 42.1% from the floor. However, what truly shone were his efforts on the defensive end of the floor, for which he was even named to the All-Defensive Team for the 2016-17 season. Though injuries derailed the final seasons of his career, limiting him to just 13 games over the last two seasons, he moved on to different roles, such as broadcasting and podcasting.

Taking to X, Sham Charania wrote, “After 15 seasons, Danny Green says he is retiring. Green, who’s announcing his retirement on his podcast Thursday, is one of the four players in NBA history to win championships with three different teams (2014 with Spurs, 2019 with Raptors, 2020 with Lakers).”

And now that his retirement news has come to the fore, the fans showed their appreciation for the forward. Even during this, it seems like Joel Embiid can’t catch a break. Why? That’s because the fans are now on his back, accusing him of being the reason for Green’s retirement.

Voicing the allegation, a fan on X wrote, “Embiid really did end his career.” Remember when Green collided with Embiid, leading to a torn ACL in the Game 6 elimination loss to the Miami Heat in 2022? Since then, Green has never been the same. After being waived by the Sixers in the aftermath of the James Harden trade, Green wasn’t seen on the court again, so linking all that to Embiid probably makes sense for the commenter. As you know how social media works, the comments kept pouring in.

Fans voice their opinion after the news

“Embiid retired a player before going to a conference finals,” added a second. The Cameroonian has been catching strays for years now for not taking the franchise to the Finals. While this time around there’s hope with the Paul George inclusion, but for The Process, time is of the essence. The continuous cycle of playoff busts has already earned him the ire (and ridicule) of the masses, so until Embiid turns the corner for him during the time of the year that matters the most, it will continue.

Sticking to the topic of ending his career, another one commented, “His teammate former Embiid ended his career.” Avoiding the obvious typo (you might find that in here too, we’re humans), the same sentiment was echoed here. But according to Green, his dynamic with Embiid has remained unchanged even after that fateful injury. Talking on his podcast, Green said, “He (Embiid) checks in every once in a while. We haven’t spoken as of recent, but he’ll tap in. He’ll randomly FaceTime or text and say, ‘Hey, what’s up? How’s things going?’ He had a recent injury. I probably should check on him.” So now knowing that everything is cool between them, fans can take a rest from blasting Embiid to oblivion.

“He was never the same after Embiid flopped through his knee,” a caption read which had the video of Green’s injury. During the first few minutes of the game between the Sixers and Heat, Embiid tumbled on Green’s left knee, bucking it in an instant. The 37-year-old tried to get up with no success as his LCL was also torn in the incident. “I was trying to get in there, saw him drive to the basket, trying to get inside a position to either get a rebound or not let the other guy double,” Green said during his exit interview. Accidents and injuries are part of the NBA life but fans still remember this as Embiid’s carelessness.

“Joel Embiid really flopped and killed Danny Green’s playing career,” a comment read. Did Embiid really “kill” his career? In chronological order, Green was re-signed by the Sixers in 2023. But when the domino effect of the Harden trade happened, it took Green out of the NBA picture. With a full roster, the Sixers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, KJ Martin, Robert Covington, and Nic Batum. This meant the 76ers needed to open a roster spot. They did it by waiving Green. He remained a free agent since, surprising to say the least, as no one took a chance at a valuable role player in any title-contending team.

No matter the reason for retirement, Green will go down as one of the most underrated players of his generation. Only Robert Horry, John Salley, and LeBron James have won the same number of titles for three different franchises. So yes, it’s safe to say, happy retirement to a legend!