Danny Green knows a thing or two about championships, having won titles with three different franchises — the Spurs, Raptors, and Lakers. But these days, the veteran swingman is just as locked in watching the new wave take over the league.
When asked if Victor Wembanyama’s transition from Year 1 to Year 2 reminds him of the media storm LeBron James walked into as a young phenom, Green acknowledged some parallels.
“Somewhat. Somewhat,” Green told me.
“Oh yeah. He had the attention coming in right away and high expectations, and he’s exceeded my expectations; he’s had a helluva rookie year. He started out a little slow the beginning of this year but he’s picked it up, and he’s playing very, very well and I can’t wait to see what he becomes. I am predicting Wemby to be a multi-year DPOY candidate and also the way he stretches the floor, he could be something we’ve never seen or ever seen again.”
Green, 37, has spent years playing alongside or against some of the most dominant forces the NBA has seen. So when he’s comparing Wembanyama’s future to rarefied air, it’s not hyperbole — it’s experience speaking.
The conversation naturally shifted to the 2020 Lakers — that unique, star-laden squad that captured the NBA title in the Orlando bubble. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a gritty cast that included Green, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the team looked poised to repeat. Instead, the roster was dismantled quickly after their championship.
“We spoke about this a couple times on Dwight Howard’s podcast and a bunch of other people’s podcasts, you know?” Green said with a smile. “He thinks we would’ve gotten a three-peat. I say we would’ve got two. I don’t know if we would’ve done three but I think for sure if that team would’ve stayed together, we could’ve gotten a second one.”
That 2020 title came at an emotionally complex time. Played during the height of the pandemic, the bubble season was already historic. But it also came in the shadow of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant earlier that year, a loss that shook the basketball world and weighed heavily on the Lakers’ franchise.
“Possibly,” Green said, when asked if any current team reminds him of that Lakers group. “And the fact that the team wasn’t the same after it because guys went different places and got traded so we weren’t able to run it back, and that also took it away from it.”
Still, Green sees echoes of that kind of championship makeup in today’s Celtics squad.
“I would say Boston,” he continued. “Everybody knows that pretty much talent-wise they’re head and shoulders above everybody, especially when healthy. They got [Kristaps] Porzingis. They are vulnerable at times but they just have a really good team especially with their starting five, and they have guys off the bench that can score and they’re so talented. You try to pick your poison with them but even the ones that they’re very good at being role players — Jrue Holiday being a role player and Derrick White being a role player, they’re very good players, you know? Porzingis being a role player. You got Al Horford coming off the bench. They just have a REALLY good group.”
Whether it’s sizing up greatness in a rookie or breaking down championship DNA, Green speaks with a voice seasoned by triumph and the understanding of what it takes to win. He’s watched the league evolve and continues to offer insight that blends respect for the past with sharp observation of the present.
