Johnny Green, New York Knicks All-Star, Dies at 89
Per longtime NBA writer Peter Vecsey and former teammate Sam Stith, New York Knicks star Johnny Green has passed away at the age of 89. Green played the first six-plus seasons of a 14-year NBA career with the Knicks, chosen by the team as the fifth overall pick of the 1959 draft.
The Michigan State alum repped the Knicks in three All-Star Games and continues to stand as one of the most prolific rebounders in franchise history: at 4,825, Green ranks sixth in Knicks rebounds (one of only 10 New Yorkers to pull in at least 4,000) and ninth among qualifiers at 10.2 a game.
Often referred to as "Jumpin' Johnny Green," Green also holds the record for most rebounds by a Knicks rookie in a single game (25 in a 1960 loss to Philadelphia) and was the first New Yorker to earn 20 in at least three straight.
The court at Madison Square Garden, where Green played his first six-plus seasons
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In the early stages of the 1965-66 season, Green was traded to the Baltimore Bullets in the deal that brought Walt Bellamy to New York. After some nomadic times off the bench between Baltimore, San Diego, and Philadelphia, Green enjoyed a four-year resurgence with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings franchise. He led the Association in field goal percentage for two seasons and even made one more All-Star appearance at age 37 in 1971.
Prior to his NBA entry, Green starred at Michigan State, beginning his college career at 23 after serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. Green earned back-to-back All-American honors in East Lansing and his No. 24 has been retired by the program alongside Draymond Green and Magic Johnson, among others.
Green returned to New York in retirement, making his home in Dix Hills on Long Island. He was predeceased by his wife Ester and is survived by four children.
