Johnny Green Obituary, four-time NBA All-Star dies at 89
Johnny Green, one of the best players in basketball history, a four-time NBA All-Star, died on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at age 89.
- Died: November 16, 2023
- Cause of death: Heart (heart attack) and kidney problems
He died at a hospital in Huntington, New York. His death was confirmed by his son Johnny Jr., who said his father had had heart and kidney problems for about a year.
John Michael “Jumpin’ Johnny” Green (December 8, 1933 – November 16, 2023) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He was a four-time NBA All-Star.
Jumpin’ Johnny, as he came to be known, was 6-foot-5 and about 200 pounds, but he often bested taller and huskier frontline opponents, snaring rebounds, blocking shots, and hitting short-range baskets.
He was durable as well; he avoided serious injuries and had some of his best seasons late in his career. He played in the N.B.A. until he was 39, retiring after the 1972-73 season.
Green was an all-American at Michigan State University in his junior and senior seasons. When he was a sophomore, he led the Spartans to a share of the 1957 Big Ten championship with Indiana and a berth in the N.C.A.A. tournament’s Final Four.
Tributes to Johnny Green
The basketball community has lost a Legend. Our hearts are with the family, friends and fans of "Jumpin' Johnny" Green.#LegendsForever pic.twitter.com/ush14B2LL8
— NBA Alumni 🏀 (@NBAalumni) November 16, 2023
Knicks family mourns the passing of Johnny Green. pic.twitter.com/75ipYkudUD
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 17, 2023
2 amazing facts about the late great Knick Johnny Green:
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 16, 2023
— He did not play high school basketball. He was 5’10”. He went into Marines, grew 7 inches, then played college ball
— He was an NBA All-Star 3 times his 1st 6 years — and then again at age 37. He retired at 39
RIP pic.twitter.com/CGZAyVDiK1
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