A. C. Green
Encyclopedia
A.C. Green, Jr., is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA and ABA history. With 1,192 straight games played, he earned the nickname "Iron Man". He played for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

, Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 and Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

 and attended Benson Polytechnic High School. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...

 in 2003. He played in 1278 out of 1281 games in his career (99.8%), with the three he missed coming in his second season, 1986–87.

Oregon State

Green was a four-year star at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...

, where he finished second in school history in rebounding and fourth in scoring. He was an All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore, and as a junior he ranked fourth in the nation in field goal percentage at .657. As a senior he averaged 19.1 points and 9.2 rebounds and was named to the All-America Third Team.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers, fresh from winning an NBA championship, selected Green as the 23rd overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft
1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "Lottery" era. A total of 162 players were selected over 7 rounds by the league's 23 teams. The New York Knicks were awarded the first overall pick, by winning the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery, which was held...

.

Green fit well into the Los Angeles flow, as he did not need to have plays run for him in order to be effective. He led the Lakers in rebounding for six of his eight years on the team. Led by Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...

, James Worthy
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...

 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...

, Los Angeles captured back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, Green's second and third years with the squad. In the two campaigns combined, he averaged 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting better than .500 from the field. Green also reached the NBA Finals with Los Angeles in 1989 and 1991. Green was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1988–89, was voted a starter on the 1990 Western Conference All-Star Team and finished fourth in the league in field goal percentage in 1992–93 at .537.

Phoenix Suns

Green left the Lakers in 1993 to sign with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent. The Suns had just reached the NBA Finals, losing in six games to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

, and they viewed Green as the missing piece to their championship puzzle. Green posted a career-high average of 14.7 points per game in 1993–94, but the Suns were eliminated in the conference semifinals. In 1994–95 he again contributed double-figure scoring and solid rebounding for the Suns, but his playing time and contributions dipped in 1995–96; though he remained the team's second-leading rebounder. His streak of consecutive games played almost ended during a game with the New York Knicks when J. R. Reid
J. R. Reid
Herman Reid, Jr., better known as J. R. Reid , is a retired American professional basketball player for several NBA teams...

 intentionally elbowed him in the face. Green lost two teeth and suffered a head injury but was still able to continue on with his streak by wearing a protective mask and only playing a couple of minutes a game for a few weeks.

Dallas Mavericks

Green was traded two months into the 1996–97 season to the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 in the deal that brought Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...

 to Phoenix. He brought reliable rebounding to the rebuilding Mavs. Due to the trade he was able to move one game closer to the record of consecutive games played, since he appeared in 83 games in 1996–97 instead of the standard 82. He tied Shawn Bradley
Shawn Bradley
Shawn Paul Bradley is a retired American and German basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. At tall, Bradley was one of the tallest players in NBA history...

 for the team lead in rebounding in 1997–98 with 8.1 rpg, but his season highlight came on November 20 against Golden State when he played in his 907th consecutive game, becoming the league's all-time iron man, surpassing Randy Smith
Randy Smith (basketball)
Randolph "Randy" Smith was an American professional basketball player who set the NBA record for consecutive games played. From 1972-1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to a then-record of 906 straight games...

's mark of 906 consecutive games played. http://www.nba.com/allstar2006/moments_smith78.html

Green played in his 1,000th consecutive game on March 13, 1999 against Vancouver, and finished the 1998–99 season at 1,028 in a row and counting. After 14 seasons in the league, Green had missed only three games, all during the 1986–87 season (his second in the league).

Twilight years

Green returned to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1999–2000 season where he won his last NBA Championship with the team. He played his final season with the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

 where he was reunited with Pat Riley
Pat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...

. The Heat managed to make the playoffs where they were swept in a very one-sided series 3-0 by the Charlotte Hornets who won all 3 games easily.

Iron man streak

Green's consecutive games played streak began on November 19, 1986, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

 in San Antonio. The streak ended on April 18, 2001 when the Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

 in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

.

Business ventures

A. C. Green is the current ambassador of basketball for 3BA International and the owner of the Portland, Oregon-based 3BA basketball franchise. The 3BA is a full court, 3-on-3, professional basketball league that is scheduled to be starting its inaugural seasons in June 2010. The 3BA will kick off leagues in both the United States and China.

A. C. Green is a member and endorser of Financial Destination, Inc., a multi-level marketing company that advertises personal concierge and financial planning services.

He is listed as "COB" of Desert Falls Sports Resort http://www.desertfallssportsresort.com/contact.html, and has publicly endorsed the project before the Mesquite, Nevada
Mesquite, Nevada
Mesquite is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the Arizona state line and northeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,277. The city is located in the Virgin River Valley...

, City Council. http://mesquitelocalnews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=2024&id=2

Personal life

  • At the 2011 All Star Breakfast, A.C. Green was awarded the Bobby Jones Award for character, leadership, and faith in the world of basketball in the home and the community.
  • Green is known as deeply religious and is well-known for proclaiming that he began and ended his NBA career as a virgin. During his playing days, his teammates would frequently send women to tempt him to compromise his morals. Instead, Green would respond by calmly quoting scripture. Currently, he runs youth camps through his A.C. Green Youth Foundation promoting abstinence
    Abstinence
    Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...

     until marriage
    Marriage
    Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

    .
  • On his homepage, he states that the initials in his name do not stand for anything. His given name is simply "A. C.", similar to the case of fellow basketball star K. C. Jones
    K. C. Jones
    K. C. Jones is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. K. C. Jones is his full name.-Playing career:...

    .
  • Green is married to Veronique Green. The two were wed on April 20, 2002.
  • Green converted to Christianity in the town of Hermiston, Oregon
    Hermiston, Oregon
    As of the census of 2010, there were 16,745 people, 4,964 households, and 3,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,035.4 people per square mile . There were 5,383 housing units at an average density of 832.9 per square mile...

    , while he was still in high school.
  • Green suffered from singultus, or chronic hiccups, during his NBA career, the hiccups only stopping when Green was running or working out. Reportedly, Green never slept more than two hours at a time due to the condition. He has since recovered.

NBA career statistics

NBA Championship

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 82 || 1 || 18.8 || .539 || .167 || .611 || 4.6 || .7 || .6 || .6 || 6.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 79 || 72 || 28.4 || .538 || .000 || .780 || 7.8 || 1.1 || .9 || 1.0 || 10.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 64 || 32.1 || .503 || .000 || .773 || 8.7 || 1.1 || 1.1 || .5 || 11.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 82 || 30.6 || .529 || .235 || .786 || 9.0 || 1.3 || 1.1 || .7 || 13.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 82 || 33.0 || .478 || .283 || .751 || 8.7 || 1.1 || .8 || .6 || 12.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 21 || 26.4 || .476 || .200 || .738 || 6.3 || .9 || .7 || .3 || 9.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 53 || 35.4 || .476 || .214 || .744 || 9.3 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .4 || 13.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 55 || 34.4 || .537 || .348 || .739 || 8.7 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .5 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...


| 82 || 55 || 34.5 || .502 || .229 || .735 || 9.2 || 1.7 || .9 || .5 || 14.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 82 || 52 || 32.8 || .504 || .339 || .732 || 8.2 || 1.5 || .7 || .4 || 11.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 82 || 36 || 25.8 || .484 || .269 || .709 || 6.8 || .9 || .5 || .3 || 7.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 27 || 19 || 20.3 || .477 || .000 || .646 || 5.1 || .6 || .7 || .0 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1996–97
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 56 || 54 || 34.7 || .486 || .059 || .651 || 9.3 || .9 || .9 || .3 || 7.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 82 || 68 || 32.3 || .453 || .000 || .716 || 8.1 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .3 || 7.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 50 || 35 || 18.5 || .422 || .000 || .577 || 4.6 || .5 || .6 || .2 || 4.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 82 || 82 || 23.5 || .447 || .250 || .695 || 5.9 || 1.0 || .6 || .2 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...


| 82 || 1 || 17.2 || .444 || .000 || .712 || 3.8 || .5 || .4 || .1 || 4.5
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| All-Star
| 1 || 1 || 12.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 1.0 || .0
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 1,278 || 832 || 28.6 || .494 || .254 || .734 || 7.4 || 1.1 || .8 || .4 || 9.6

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1986
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 9 || – || 11.8 || .529 || – || .444 || 1.8 || .0 || .1 || .3 || 2.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1987
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 18 || – || 28.1 || .546 || – || .747 || 7.9 || .6 || .5 || .4 || 11.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1988
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 24 || – || 30.3 || .544 || – || .753 || 7.3 || .8 || .5 || .5 || 10.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1989
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 15 || – || 33.5 || .412 || .000 || .763 || 9.1 || 1.2 || 1.1 || .4 || 10.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1990
1990 NBA Playoffs
The 1990 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1989-1990 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons successfully defending their championship by beating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 9 || – || 28.0 || .519 || – || .750 || 9.0 || 1.0 || .6 || .4 || 11.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1991
1991 NBA Playoffs
The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1990–91 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship via a four-games-to-one victory over the Western Conference champion Los...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 19 || 1 || 21.1 || .423 || .500 || .704 || 5.4 || .5 || .6 || .2 || 6.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1992
1992 NBA Playoffs
NBA Champions: Chicago BullsThe 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-1992 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Western...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 4 || 4 || 38.3 || .410 || – || .826 || 9.0 || 1.8 || 1.8 || .0 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1993
1993 NBA Playoffs
The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 5 || 5 || 44.0 || .429 || .000 || .619 || 14.6 || 2.6 || 1.4 || .6 || 9.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1994
1994 NBA Playoffs
The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals...


| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...


| 10 || 2 || 35.0 || .482 || .412 || .613 || 8.4 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1995
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...


| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 10 || 10 || 36.8 || .462 || .083 || .873 || 12.0 || 1.3 || .6 || .2 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1996
1996 NBA Playoffs
The 1996 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995-1996 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship in three years by defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle...


| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 4 || 4 || 21.8 || .353 || .000 || .875 || 4.5 || .5 || .3 || .0 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 2000
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...


| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 23 || 23 || 18.7 || .411 || – || .696 || 4.2 || .6 || 1.6 || .1 || 3.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001
2001 NBA Playoffs
The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...


| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...


| 3 || 0 || 7.0 || .333 || – || 1.000 || 1.3 || .7 || .3 || .0 || 1.0
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 153 || – || 26.9 || .475 || .250 || .739 || 7.1 || .8 || .7 || .3 || 8.6

Due to a mid-season trade ended up playing a career-high 83 games.

See also


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK