Gerald Green retiring to join Rockets coaching staff

Gerald Green is finally ending his NBA career after 12 years and will join the Houston Rockets coaching staff in player development.

After 12 years playing for eight different teams, Gerald Green has officially retired.

The journeyman swingman announced his retirement on Friday ahead of the Rockets’ game against the Rockets game against the Thunder, wrapping in another announcement.

He’s joining the Rockets coaching staff as a player development coach.

“I know when all this is over I’m probably going to go to the bathroom and cry like a baby,” Green said at his retirement press conference per Salman Ali. “I sleep, eat, breathe Houston. It’s all over my body. I may be the only coach with tattoos like this.”

Green literally has a tattoo on his shoulder of Interstate 45, the highway that connects Houston to Dallas. He has another on his forearm with the Houston skyline.

Gerald Green is joining the Rockets coaching staff

He last played for the Rockets in 2018-19, averaging 9.2 points per game in 73 appearances. He didn’t play in 2019-20 because of a foot injury.

Green was born and raised in Houston but he started his career in Boston after being selected No. 18 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. He went on to play for Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Indiana, Phoenix, Miami and Houston. He also spent two seasons abroad in Russia.

Now, Green will focus on Houston’s young talent.

“My job is to make sure their growing pains aren’t pains, but lessons,” Green said per Jackson Gatlin.

Teams often bring in veteran players like Green to mentor young players. He’ll serve that role from within the organization with a wealth of experience and knowledge to share.