Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Did You Know That Gerald Green Lost His Ring Finger While Dunking?

After suffering a broken foot in the preseason, it is highly doubtful that Houston Rockets swingman Gerald Green will return this season, even if the Rockets make a playoff run. This means we’re going to have to wait for some more unreal dunks until next season.

Today is Green’s 34th birthday and when I saw it in my calendar, I remembered a story that came up a couple of years ago. Did you know that Gerald Green has been playing in the NBA for 12 seasons, despite missing a finger?

In 6th Grade, when he was 11 years old, Gerald Green lost more than half of his right ring finger while trying to dunk on a makeshift hoop. He and his younger brother had a jumping contest at home, testing their vertical leap.

According to himself, Green was wearing his mother’s ring, and the ring was caught on a nail. This led to his finger ripping to the bone.

“I was teasing my brother, ‘You can’t jump this high. I went up and I yanked my finger off. It was still intact but they couldn’t save it during surgery.”

Just think about it. Green, one of the world’s best dunkers, can’t palm a ball with his right hand.

 

“If I could palm a ball I probably could have more dunks than I have in my career, but I still can get the job done”

Well, ‘getting the job done’ seems like a fairly underwhelming statement when you see Gerald get up and dunk it. Happy Birthday Gerald!