Taurean Green
Encyclopedia
Taurean Green is an American-born professional basketball
player who is a point guard
for CB Gran Canaria
, the Canary Islands
affiliate of the Spanish basketball league Liga ACB. Green played college basketball
for the University of Florida
, where he was a member of the Florida Gators
teams that won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006
and 2007
. He also plays internationally for Georgia
after gaining citizenship in June 2010.
in 1986.) He attended a different school for each of his four years of high school. Following his sophomore year, in which his Westminster Academy team won the Florida Class 2A State Championship, Green was named MVP of the State Playoff Tournament and Broward County 3A-2A-1A Player of the Year. His signature game came at home during the regular season against Dillard High School, the three-time defending Class 6A State Champions, where he scored 38 points and made nine 3-point shots in leading his team to a blow-out victory. Green completed his senior season and high school career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
.
Gators Men's Basketball
team, which won the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
on April 3, 2006 and the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
on April 2, 2007, as well as the 2006 and 2007 SEC Tournaments. Green also passed the 1,000-point benchmark in his career at Florida, racking up over 1,170 points in just 3 seasons, the first of which he did not play much. Four of his former teammates have also passed the 1,000 point mark: Joakim Noah
, Corey Brewer
, Lee Humphrey
, and Al Horford
.
in the 2007 NBA Draft
.
In his first year with the Blazers, Green was sent to the Blazers' development league
affiliate Idaho Stampede
on December 9, 2007, and was recalled on the 22nd. A need to get more playing time and practice time were noted by coach Nate McMillan
as the reason behind the move. On February 21, 2008, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets
for Von Wafer
.
On July 28, 2008, he was traded to the New York Knicks
along with Bobby Jones and a 2010 second round pick in exchange for Renaldo Balkman
. However, one day later he was released by the Knicks.
of the Spanish
ACB league
. He debuted in the 2008 Supercopa
and scored 18 points in his first game, against Joventut Badalona
. On August 25, 2009, he signed with AEK Athens B.C. of the Greek A1 Ethniki
. In July 2010 he returned to Spain and signed a two-year contract with CB Gran Canaria
.
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Portland
| 8 || 0 || 5.5 || .250 || .125 || 1.000 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 0.1 || .0 || 2.1
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 9 || 0 || 3.3 || .333 || .333 || .750 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.1 || .0 || 1.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 17 || 0 || 4.4 || .280 || .182 || .917 || 0.6 || 0.6 || 0.1 || .0 || 1.6
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | CAI Zaragoza
| 25 || 25 || 25.0 || .450 || .420 || .770 || 2.3 || 2.0 || 2.8 || 0.5 || 10.7
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who is a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
for CB Gran Canaria
CB Gran Canaria
Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria - Claret, S.A.D. is a professional basketball team that plays in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto. The team is based in the autonomous community's capital and largest city, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. It plays at Centro Insular.-History:CB Gran...
, the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
affiliate of the Spanish basketball league Liga ACB. Green played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, where he was a member of the Florida Gators
Florida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
teams that won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
and 2007
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
. He also plays internationally for Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
after gaining citizenship in June 2010.
Early years
Green was born in Boca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
in 1986.) He attended a different school for each of his four years of high school. Following his sophomore year, in which his Westminster Academy team won the Florida Class 2A State Championship, Green was named MVP of the State Playoff Tournament and Broward County 3A-2A-1A Player of the Year. His signature game came at home during the regular season against Dillard High School, the three-time defending Class 6A State Champions, where he scored 38 points and made nine 3-point shots in leading his team to a blow-out victory. Green completed his senior season and high school career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
.
College career
Green played on the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
Gators Men's Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, which won the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
on April 3, 2006 and the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
on April 2, 2007, as well as the 2006 and 2007 SEC Tournaments. Green also passed the 1,000-point benchmark in his career at Florida, racking up over 1,170 points in just 3 seasons, the first of which he did not play much. Four of his former teammates have also passed the 1,000 point mark: Joakim Noah
Joakim Noah
Joakim Simon Noah is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association . Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship...
, Corey Brewer
Corey Brewer
Corey Wayne Brewer is an American professional basketball player who is a small forward and shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . He played college basketball for for the University of Florida, where he starred on the Florida Gators teams that won...
, Lee Humphrey
Lee Humphrey
Lee Anthony Humphrey is an American professional basketball player who is currently a shooting guard for Ratiopharm Ulm in the German basketball league Basketball Bundesliga. Humphrey played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was a key member of the Florida Gators teams that...
, and Al Horford
Al Horford
Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso is a Dominican professional basketball player who is a center and power forward for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association...
.
NBA career
On June 28, 2007, he was drafted in the second round, 52nd overall, by the Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
.
In his first year with the Blazers, Green was sent to the Blazers' development league
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
affiliate Idaho Stampede
Idaho Stampede
The Idaho Stampede is an American basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. The team is based in the Boise, Idaho, area and as of 2005 plays at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise. The team was founded as a member of the Continental Basketball Association in 1997 and was league runner-up...
on December 9, 2007, and was recalled on the 22nd. A need to get more playing time and practice time were noted by coach Nate McMillan
Nate McMillan
Nathaniel "Nate" McMillan is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers...
as the reason behind the move. On February 21, 2008, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
for Von Wafer
Von Wafer
Vakeaton Quamar Wafer , commonly referred to as Von Wafer, is an American professional basketball player who plays with Vanoli Cremona of the Lega Basket....
.
On July 28, 2008, he was traded to the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
along with Bobby Jones and a 2010 second round pick in exchange for Renaldo Balkman
Renaldo Balkman
Renaldo Balkman is an American professional basketball player, formerly of the University of South Carolina. He currently plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has represented the Puerto Rico national team in international competition...
. However, one day later he was released by the Knicks.
European career
In 2008, Green signed with Basket Zaragoza 2002Basket Zaragoza 2002
Basket Zaragoza 2002 S. A. D., more commonly known as CAI Zaragoza by sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Zaragoza, Aragón, who currently plays in Liga ACB. It does it at Pabellón Príncipe Felipe.- History :...
of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
ACB league
Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto
The Liga ACB, known as the Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Spain. It was founded in 1956 with the name of Liga Nacional. The league changed its name to the current one in 1983. The league is rated as one of the three "A" level European...
. He debuted in the 2008 Supercopa
Supercopa de España de Baloncesto 2008/2009
The Supercopa 2008 was disputed in the Principe Felipe Arena, Zaragoza. The teams that took part in the tournament were:*CAI Zaragoza - host team*TAU Vitoria - 2007/2008 Liga ACB champions*DKV Joventut - 2007/2008 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto champions...
and scored 18 points in his first game, against Joventut Badalona
Joventut Badalona
Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, playing in the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto . Known to their fans as La Penya , it is one of only three teams that have never been relegated from the top division of the Spanish League...
. On August 25, 2009, he signed with AEK Athens B.C. of the Greek A1 Ethniki
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
. In July 2010 he returned to Spain and signed a two-year contract with CB Gran Canaria
CB Gran Canaria
Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria - Claret, S.A.D. is a professional basketball team that plays in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto. The team is based in the autonomous community's capital and largest city, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. It plays at Centro Insular.-History:CB Gran...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 8 || 0 || 5.5 || .250 || .125 || 1.000 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 0.1 || .0 || 2.1
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| 9 || 0 || 3.3 || .333 || .333 || .750 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.1 || .0 || 1.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 17 || 0 || 4.4 || .280 || .182 || .917 || 0.6 || 0.6 || 0.1 || .0 || 1.6
European career statistics
|-| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | CAI Zaragoza
Basket Zaragoza 2002
Basket Zaragoza 2002 S. A. D., more commonly known as CAI Zaragoza by sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Zaragoza, Aragón, who currently plays in Liga ACB. It does it at Pabellón Príncipe Felipe.- History :...
| 25 || 25 || 25.0 || .450 || .420 || .770 || 2.3 || 2.0 || 2.8 || 0.5 || 10.7
See also
- 2005–06 Florida Gators men's basketball team
- 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators basketball players