Former Radford University and current Chicago Bulls basketball player Javonte Green (center) had his jersey retired Sunday afternoon at halftime of the RU/Eastern Kentucky ball game. Pictured with Green, from left, are Acting RU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre and Athletic Director Robert Lineburg.
By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Sunday afternoon, Javonte Green’s Radford University jersey was retired during a special ceremony at halftime of the school’s men’s basketball game with Eastern Kentucky.
Green came to Radford University in 2011 as a graduate of Brunswick High School in Petersburg, Va., with high hopes of making a name for himself on the basketball court. Four years later, he ranked and still does rank first in program history for career games played (133) and career steals (243) and second in program history for career points (1,911), field goals
made (701), and career rebounds (1,064).
He was an All-Big South Conference selection all four years he was at Radford and was the 2-14-15 Big South Defensive Player of the Year.
Since leaving Radford, Green has played overseas, in the NBA’s G-League, and in the National Basketball Association with the Boston Celtics and presently with the Chicago Bulls.
Green called his journey to the big show almost surreal. “I just tried to be the best player I could be. Everybody’s journey is different, and I appreciate mine,” he said.
During his time at Radford, Green guided the Highlanders to back-to-back postseason berths and 22-win seasons and ended his college career averaging 14.4 points and eight rebounds per game.
In 2019, Green became the first player in program history to sign a contract with an NBA organization when he inked a two-year deal with the Celtics. During the 2020-21 season, he was traded to the Bulls, re-signed with them in the summer of 2021, and has become a fan favorite in the Windy City with his energy, his defense, and electrifying slam dunks.
His advice to others when looking at anything both on the basketball and off is simple: “Don’t settle. If you fail, then at least you tried.”
So far this season with the Bulls , Green has appeared in 19 games with eight starts. He is averaging 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and nearly a steal per game while shooting 51.3% from the field.
His Radford jersey now hangs from the rafters at the Dedmon Center with two previous retirees, guard Doug Day, Radford’s all-time leading scorer for men’s basketball with 2,027 career points, and Stephanie Howard, who from 1985-89, set 27 RU school records. She holds the university’s all-time scoring record with 2,146 points along with the Big South single-game scoring record of 42 points, set against Charleston Southern in 1987. Howard earned All-America honors four consecutive seasons and was the first RU athlete, male or female, to have her jersey number retired.
During the jersey retirement ceremony, Green presented RU Athletic Director Robert Lineburg and former RU coach Mike Jones with framed Chicago Bulls jerseys.