Green was born in Cheverly, Maryland, to Jeffrey Green Sr. and Felicia Akingube. He attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he led the NHS Wildcats to the state basketball championship in 2004. Green was recruited to Georgetown University by coach Craig Esherick in 2003. Esherick was fired before Green arrived on campus and John Thompson III was hired as the new coach. The two top recruits of Esherick's tenure, Green and center Roy Hibbert, were the key components of Thompson's future success. Thompson stated in a Sports Illustrated interview: "You'll stop and think when I say this, but it's true: Jeff Green is the smartest player I've ever coached. You would know this better than most: that's a hell of a statement." Green won the 2005 Big East Rookie of the Year award along with Rudy Gay of the University of Connecticut. He was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Roy Hibbert. In 2007, Green was named the Big East Player of the Year. He and Hibbert were unanimous selections to the All-Big East First Team. After his 30-point performance in the 2007 Big East Tournament semifinal against Notre Dame and his 21-point performance in the championship against Pittsburgh, Green was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, as the Hoyas won their first Big East title since 1989. He led the Hoyas to the Final Four of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, beating Belmont and Boston College in the first two rounds. Green beat Vanderbilt with a game-winning shot after a controversial no-call in the game's closing seconds as well as fearlessly leading the Hoyas to victory against No. 1 seed UNC in a stunning second-half comeback victory and bringing the Hoyas back to their first Final Four since Patrick Ewing led them to the 1985 National Championship game. The Hoyas eventually lost to Greg Oden and the Ohio State Buckeyes, bringing their remarkable title run to a close as well as Green's collegiate playing career, as he chose to forgo his senior year and entered the NBA draft. Green spent the next four summers taking classes at Georgetown and graduated in 2012 with a degree in English and a minor in theology.
Professional career
Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007–2011)
On June 28, 2007, Green was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He was later traded to the Seattle SuperSonics alongside Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West in exchange for Ray Allen and Glen Davis. On April 6, 2008, Green scored a career-high 35 points against the Denver Nuggets. Green made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2008 after averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 80 games. The Sonics were sold and moved to Oklahoma City before the start of the 2008–09 season, becoming the Thunder. In January 2009, Green hit his first career game-winner, lifting the Thunder to a 122–121 win over the Golden State Warriors. In 2009–10, Green played and started in all 82 games. On December 1, 2010, he set a new career high with 37 points against the New Jersey Nets.
Boston Celtics (2011–2015)
On February 24, 2011, Green was traded, along with Nenad Krstić and a 2012 first-round pick, to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson. Green recorded a double-double in his first start as a Celtic against the Washington Wizards on April 11, 2011, recording 20 points, a career high-tying 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Green improved his field goal percentage after the trade to the Celtics, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor in 26 games after shooting 43.7 percent with the Thunder. On December 10, 2011, following the conclusion of the NBA lockout, Green re-signed with the Celtics. Eight days later, his contract was voided by the Celtics after a routine physical examination detected an aortic aneurysm. He subsequently underwent heart surgery in January 2012 and missed the entire 2011–12 season. Former teammate Kevin Durant dedicated his season to Green. Green used his downtime not only to rehab from surgery but to complete his coursework at Georgetown, graduating in May 2012 with a degree in English and a minor in theology. On August 22, 2012, Green signed with the Celtics to a deal rumored to be for four years and approximately $36 million. On March 18, 2013, Green scored a career-high 43 points in a 105–103 loss to the Miami Heat. On April 3, 2013, he scored 34 points against the Detroit Pistons. In 2013–14, Green played and started in all 82 games for the Celtics following the departure of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the off-season. He subsequently had a career-best season as he averaged a career-high 16.9 points per game. On January 22, he scored 39 points against the Wizards. On March 16 against the New Orleans Pelicans, he had a second 39-point game. Over the first two months of the 2014–15 season, Green averaged a career-best 17.6 points per game.
Memphis Grizzlies (2015–2016)
On January 12, 2015, Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal involving the Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans. He made his debut for the Grizzlies two days later, recording 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench in a 103–92 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On June 18, 2015, Green exercised his player option with the Grizzlies for the 2015–16 season. On December 13, 2015, Green scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to the Miami Heat. He topped that mark on January 25, 2016, scoring 30 points off the bench in a 108–102 overtime win over the Orlando Magic. In that game, he converted an 11-footer with 1.3 seconds left for a 100-100 tie at the end of regulation.
Los Angeles Clippers (2016)
On February 18, 2016, Green was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a future protected first-round pick. Two days later, he made his debut for the Clippers in a 115–112 loss to the Golden State Warriors, recording five points, two rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes off the bench. On February 26, he made his first start for the Clippers, scoring 22 points in 31 minutes of action in a 117–107 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Orlando Magic (2016–2017)
On July 7, 2016, Green signed with the Orlando Magic. He made his debut for the Magic in their season opener on October 26, 2016, scoring seven points off the bench in a 108–96 loss to the Miami Heat. On April 5, 2017, he was shut down for the rest of the season due to lower back soreness that plagued him throughout the season. Green missed the final nine games of the season with the back injury.
On July 20, 2019, Green signed with the Utah Jazz. On December 24, the Jazz waived Green.
Houston Rockets (2020–present)
On February 18, 2020, Green was signed by the Houston Rockets to a 10-day contract. On February 28, 2020, the Houston Rockets announced that they had signed Green for the remainder of the season. The signing reunited Green with former Thunder teammates James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
