NBA forward Jeff Green underwent heart surgery in January of 2012 after he was diagnosed with a dangerous enlargement of the valve to his aorta, following a routine physical with the Celtics,
In a piece for The Player's Tribune, Green, now a member of the Cavs, opened up about the surgery, the recovery process and his scar which helps remind him what he's been through and how lucky he is to be alive.
Per The Player's Tribune, Green writes,
"Kevin Garnett caught me one time — “Dude, put your shirt on!” Same with Paul Pierce, Courtney Lee, even Bryan. I don’t care what they think, I’m keeping the damn shirt off, I thought. They were pretty shocked at first, because at that point the scar was still pretty nasty. But eventually I think they got what I was doing — they saw that I needed to motivate myself, and to remind myself what I was coming back from. After a while, everyone was normal about it. It even got to the point where my teammates thought I was being too cocky with it. I’m showing this thing off, baby."
Green also revealed a special gift he received from Jordan Brand, commemorating his heart surgery.
The special edition Air Jordan 31s feature a handful of personalized details, including the name of Green's doctor, a symbol of his scar and the date that the surgery took place. Only two pairs were made.
Per The Player's Tribune,
"Jeff Green has donated an autographed pair of Air Jordan XXXI shoes commemorating his open heart surgery to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF). The shoes are one of two pairs that were exclusively created for Jeff by Jordan Brand. To enter a raffle drawing to win these special shoes, with proceeds benefiting CCF, please visit Jeff’s campaign or click on the donate button below."
Check out the video below where Green gives a detailed look at the kicks for the Player's Tribune.