Danny Green to finally get his 2019 NBA championship ring from Raptors this week

Apr 6 2022, 2:00 pm

A whole lot has happened in the world over the past two years, but one unfortunate streak is about to end: Philadelphia 76ers forward Danny Green is set to finally receive his 2019 NBA championship ring from the Toronto Raptors.

Green hasn’t played for the Raptors since 2019 and has actually faced off against his former team seven times since winning his second NBA title (after winning with San Antonio in 2014).

Winning it again with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Green has the rare distinction (along with Robert Horry, John Salley, and LeBron James) of being just one of four players to win championships with three different franchises.

But due to postponements, rescheduling of games, and a whole lot of weird circumstances, Green hasn’t had a chance to pick up the ring from his former team just yet.

Green’s time in Toronto was always looking like a short-term stint, with an expiring contract after the 2018-19 season that was included in the infamous DeMar DeRozan-Kawhi Leonard swap.

Green was traded from LA to Oklahoma City in November 2020, before being flipped to Philadelphia a month later, only to ever suit up for the Thunder.

Finally, though, Green is set to receive the ring in a special pregame ceremony Thursday night when the 76ers visit Toronto.

Here’s a quick timeline of the games that Green could’ve received a ring at but didn’t:

March 24, 2020

“Two weeks turned into two years” is how many people would describe the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s also the most accurate way to describe the way Danny Green has been waiting for his ring.

Green and the Lakers were supposed to visit Toronto for a ring ceremony less than two weeks after the pandemic was officially declared by the WHO, which effectively shuttered pro sports worldwide.

August 1, 2020

Toronto and LA faced off again in the NBA bubble in August in the rescheduled game from March, but it made little sense to do the ceremony in front of no crowd.

As mentioned, Green actually ended up winning the 2020 NBA title with the Lakers in the bubble, getting thatĀ ring in March 2021.

Safe to say it’s probably the first time in league history a player has been presented with a ring on two different teams a year apart.

February 21/23, 2021

Let’s be real: Tampa would be a very odd place for a Toronto Raptor to receive their championship ring.

Green and his new Philadelphia 76ers team played Toronto twice last season on the road back-to-back, but the games took place at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. Both parties agreed to delay the ring ceremony until they’d get a chance in Toronto.

December 28, 2021

The most recent chance that Green could’ve got the ring was just a few months ago, with Green playing his first game in Toronto since the title. But due to rising COVID-19 cases in Toronto, the Raptors played the game in front of 50% capacity. Green said on his Green Room Podcast that he’d rather wait for the chance to do it in front of a full house.

Fingers crossed for nothing going wrong at this point, but it seems like Danny Green’s long-running ring saga is set toĀ finally reach its conclusion.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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