Lakers’ Danny Green gets death threats after missing shot that could have won NBA title

ORLANDO, Fla. —  Danny Green has been active on social media during his career, often using the medium to promote his podcast and engage with fans directly.

But this weekend, after Green missed a potentially championship-winning shot in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, some on social media channels turned against him, going so far as to make death threats. His fiancée, who is also active on social media, has seen more of those threats than he has.

“I had to ask, are you getting death threats?” Green said. “And she said, yeah, you are too, and I was like, I don’t know, because I don’t really pay attention or care. Nor am I upset, shaken or worried about it. I’m just not one of those types of people. ...

“I’m usually protected. I’m usually safe. I’m usually OK, and confident and secure in my own mind in my own home. But if something does come up, I’m sure it’ll come my way. She’ll figure it out, she’ll find it, or we’ll see it. But it’s a basketball game. People are emotional, fans are emotional. I hope they don’t take it that seriously. I hope they are that passionate about voting or getting justice for these people who deserve justice or get some better change along in the country.”

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Green has had some struggles shooting during the playoffs this year. He has spoken before about the difficulty of staying off social media and the mental impact of seeing the negativity on social media platforms.

On Friday, the Lakers trailed the Miami Heat by one when LeBron James passed the ball to Green who was wide open at the top of the arc. Green’s shot, with 7.1 seconds left in the game, hit the front of the rim and fell short.

“I had more time than I realized, should have took more time, probably rushed it a little bit, a little off balance,” Green said. “But we got a good look, we got a second opportunity, and if I could get that play back again, I’d give anything to get that shot back again. Trust me.”

The Lakers had another opportunity to win that game. Forward Markieff Morris grabbed the rebound with 5.5 seconds left and gave the Lakers another opportunity. Morris threw the ball out of bounds with 2.2 seconds remaining to end any real chance the Lakers had of finishing the series on Friday. The Lakers have not made Morris available to reporters yet.