Donte Greene is an NBA player for the Sacremento Kings. At a towering six feet, eleven inches, he is certainly a basketball giant.
In the 2009-10 season, he recorded a career high of 31 points in one game. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points per game with a .441 field goal percentage.
He scored in the double digits in 25 games and racked up over 20 points on seven different occasions. He played in 76 games and started in 50 of those games. Further, he posted on double-double and once scored 30 points in a single game. Obviously, his basketball career stretches far beyond just this past season.
Personal Life
Greene was actually born in Munich, Germany and lived there until the age of three. He grew up mostly in the United States, but lived in Japan for a time while his mother, April Greene, worked for the National Security Agency.
He cares deeply for his community, as evidenced by his participation in the Kings “Read to Achieve” program, as well as a surprise visit to the Shriner’s Hospital to celebrate Christmas with sick children who were too weak to go home for the holidays.
College Basketball
Greene’s basketball career really took off in college, where he developed the routine of listening to his iPod before games and arriving to the stadium three hours early to visualize his game. In his freshman year at Syracuse, where he majored in rhetorical studies and communications, he made 620 points.
This was the second highest number of points scored for a freshman in the school’s history.
He broke the record for most three pointers scored by a freshman at 90 three pointers. He was also named to the All-Conference Rookie team, and received Big East Rookie of the Week honors five times. He finished career fourth in conference for scoring and fifth for blocked shots.
The NBA
Greene was drafted as an undergraduate out of Syracuse by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2008 NBA draft. He was dealt to the Houston Rockets in a three team transaction.
The Grizzlies then transferred draft rights to the Toronto Rockets, where he finally signed a multi-year contract on July 14, 2008.
While playing for the Kings, Green has scored in the double digits in 30 games. He also scored over 20 points in seven games. He posted his very first NBA double-double against New Jersey with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Greene has a promising career in the NBA. It is too soon to tell how skilled he will get, but he seems to be consistently improving.