Gerald Green retires after 12 seasons in NBA, joins Houston Rockets' coaching staff

NBA journeyman and prolific dunker Gerald Green has announced his retirement after 12 seasons.

The former Houston Rockets wing will join the team's coaching staff as a player development coach, the team announced Friday.

Green, a native of Houston, played two seasons for the Rockets before sitting out all of last season with a foot injury. He spent time with several different franchises after being drafted by the Boston Celtics with the No. 18 pick in the 2005 draft.

Green, 35, won the 2007 NBA dunk contest and came in second the following year. He is perhaps best known for his "birthday dunk" in 2008, in which he blew out a candle on a cupcake placed on the back of the rim while dunking.