February 15, 1986 - After averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds as a junior at Wake Forest, six-foot-six small forward Kenny Green was selected 12th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft, one slot ahead of Karl Malone and before the likes of Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, and Terry Porter.

“When it’s one on one, it doesn’t matter [who is guarding me],” Green told reporters at the time. “As long as nobody’s helping out, I’m going to score.”

Struggling to land any playing time on a veteran-laden Bullets team, Green was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for Leon Wood midway through his rookie season. There, his playing time situation only became more dire, waiting his turn on a team that included Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Andrew Toney, Bob McAdoo, and Maurice Cheeks.

“As it turned out, that was it for my career,” Green said in 2001. “I wanted to stay in Washington. Coach Shue was not a guy who played rookies, but he was at least looking to get me in the game. In Philly, I just sat.”

After averaging 3.9 points in 40 games with the Sixers over two seasons, Green asked to be cut from the team in '87 in hopes of finding better opportunity elsewise. That opportunity never came. After not being picked up on waivers, Green returned to his hometown and never played the game again.

“My heart wasn’t in basketball anymore when I had to sit and watch people play,” Green said. “From being a top pick and then just sitting, I didn’t handle it well. I just went into a shell. I had no love for the game at all.”

Following the conclusion of his brief NBA career, Green watched as his son, Wesley, rose to prominence back home in Eustis, Florida. After a standout high school career, Wesley, standing 6-foot-9 and 300 pounds, went on to enjoy a productive four year college career at DePaul.

As for the game above, Kenny Green finished with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, doing the majority of his damage in the fourth quarter of a 134-133 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons in front of what was, at the time, the largest crowd in NBA history (44,180).

Source: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/artic...

Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/...

Play-by-Play: George Blaha & Stu Klitenic

Wesley Green's Basketball Reference Page: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/...