 Green in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1963-10-04)October 4, 1963 (age 62) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Benson Polytechnic (Portland, Oregon) |
| College | Oregon State (1981–1985) |
| NBA draft | 1985: 1st round, 23rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Playing career | 1985–2001 |
| Position | Power forward /small forward |
| Number | 45 |
| Career history | |
| 1985–1993 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1993–1996 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1996–1999 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1999–2000 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2000–2001 | Miami Heat |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 12,331 (9.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 9,473 (7.4 rpg) |
| Steals | 1,033 (0.8 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
A.C. Green Jr. (born October 4, 1963) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Nicknamed "Iron Man", he holds aNational Basketball Association (NBA) record for most consecutive regular-season games played with 1,192. Green played for theLos Angeles Lakers,Phoenix Suns,Dallas Mavericks andMiami Heat. He found most success with the Lakers, with whom he won three championships in1987,1988 and2000, and was named anNBA All-Star in1990.
Green was born and raised inPortland, Oregon, attendingBenson Polytechnic High School andOregon State University. He was inducted into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
A.C. Green Jr. was born on October 4, 1963, inPortland, Oregon. Green was given the initials "A.C." like his father A.C. Green Sr. The initials stand for his father's mother Amanda and his father's father Chester.[1][failed verification] Green, who had regularly attended church with his family until allowed the decision whether to do so during hishigh school freshman year, became aborn again Christian during aFellowship of Christian Athletes weekendretreat during hissenior year of high school.[2][3] He never missed a class in his educational career.[3]
Green attendedOregon State University, where he finished second in school history in rebounding and fourth in scoring. He was anAll-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. He was inducted into thePac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the2012 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, March 10, 2012.[4]
The Los Angeles Lakers, fresh from winning an NBA championship, selected Green in the first round as the 23rd overall pick in the1985 NBA draft.[3]
Green led the Lakers in rebounding for six of his eight years on the team. Led byMagic Johnson,James Worthy andKareem Abdul-Jabbar, 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 the1990 Western Conference All-Star Team and finished fourth in the league in field goal percentage in 1992–93 at .537.
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 theChicago Bulls, 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 whenJ. R. Reid intentionally elbowed him in the face. Green lost two teeth and sustained 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.[5][6]
Green,Sam Cassell, andMichael Finley were traded two months into the1996–97 season to theDallas Mavericks in a deal that broughtJason Kidd,Loren Meyer andTony Dumas to Phoenix. In Dallas, Green brought reliable rebounding to the rebuilding Mavs. He tiedShawn Bradley 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, surpassingRandy Smith's mark of 906 consecutive games played.[7]
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.[8] After 14 seasons in the league, Green had missed only three games, all during the 1986–87 season (his second in the league).
On September 1, 1999, Green was traded back to the Los Angeles Lakers forSean Rooks and a2000 second-round pick. During his second stint in Los Angeles, he won his last NBA championship with the Lakers by defeating the resilientSacramento Kings in five games in the first round, his former team thePhoenix Suns also in five games in the second round and finally the talentedPortland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals en route to defeating theIndiana Pacers in six games to win the series and the2000 NBA Championship, Green's third championship.[9]
Green played his final NBA season with theMiami Heat where he was reunited withPat Riley.[10] The Heat made the playoffs, where they were swept 3–0 by theCharlotte Hornets.[11]
Green's 1,192 consecutive games played streak began on November 19, 1986, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated theSan Antonio Spurs inSan Antonio.[12] The streak ended with the last game of his career on April 18, 2001, when the Miami Heat defeated theOrlando Magic inOrlando.[13][14] In addition to this streak, he also managed to miss only eight games throughout his entire playing career (all five games of the Western Conference Finals during the1986 NBA playoffs and three games at the start of his second season).
Green is a devout Christian. He is known for proclaiming that he began and ended his NBA career as avirginbachelor. He was also known to abstain from smoking or drinking alcohol, even refusing to spray champagne for the cameras after winning championships. During his rookie year, his teammates sent a woman to tempt him to compromise his commitment.[15] In 1989, he established the A.C. Green Youth Foundation, which operates youth camps to promoteabstinence until marriage.[16] In 2000, he wore a green bear on his head while on the bench during basketball games to promote his foundation.[17][18]
In 2011, he was awarded the Bobby Jones Award byAthletes in Action for character, leadership, and faith in the world of basketball, in the home and the community.[19] Green's humanitarian efforts earned him a spot in the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.[20]
Green married his wife Veronique in 2002.[21]
In 2015, Green was a judge for the 2015 Boost Mobile NBA D-League Slam Dunk Contest.[22]
In 2017, Green signed to be the Director of Sports for theUnited Basketball Alliance of India.[23]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 1 | 18.8 | .539 | .167 | .611 | 4.6 | .7 | .6 | .6 | 6.4 |
| 1986–87† | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 72 | 28.4 | .538 | .000 | .780 | 7.8 | 1.1 | .9 | 1.0 | 10.8 |
| 1987–88† | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 64 | 32.1 | .503 | .000 | .773 | 8.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .5 | 11.4 |
| 1988–89 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 82* | 30.6 | .529 | .235 | .786 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .7 | 13.3 |
| 1989–90 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 82* | 33.0 | .478 | .283 | .751 | 8.7 | 1.1 | .8 | .6 | 12.9 |
| 1990–91 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 21 | 26.4 | .476 | .200 | .738 | 6.3 | .9 | .7 | .3 | 9.1 |
| 1991–92 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 53 | 35.4 | .476 | .214 | .744 | 9.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .4 | 13.6 |
| 1992–93 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 55 | 34.4 | .537 | .348 | .739 | 8.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .5 | 12.8 |
| 1993–94 | Phoenix | 82* | 55 | 34.5 | .502 | .229 | .735 | 9.2 | 1.7 | .9 | .5 | 14.7 |
| 1994–95 | Phoenix | 82* | 52 | 32.8 | .504 | .339 | .732 | 8.2 | 1.5 | .7 | .4 | 11.2 |
| 1995–96 | Phoenix | 82 | 36 | 25.8 | .484 | .269 | .709 | 6.8 | .9 | .5 | .3 | 7.5 |
| 1996–97 | Phoenix /Dallas | 83*[a] | 73 | 30.0 | .483 | .050 | .650 | 7.9 | .8 | .8 | .2 | 7.2 |
| 1997–98 | Dallas | 82* | 68 | 32.3 | .453 | .000 | .716 | 8.1 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 7.3 |
| 1998–99 | Dallas | 50* | 35 | 18.5 | .422 | .000 | .577 | 4.6 | .5 | .6 | .2 | 4.9 |
| 1999–00† | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82* | 23.5 | .447 | .250 | .695 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .6 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2000–01 | Miami | 82 | 1 | 17.2 | .444 | .000 | .712 | 3.8 | .5 | .4 | .1 | 4.5 |
| Career | 1,278 | 832 | 28.6 | .494 | .254 | .734 | 7.4 | 1.1 | .8 | .4 | 9.6 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 1 | 12.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | – | 11.8 | .529 | – | .444 | 1.8 | .0 | .1 | .3 | 2.4 |
| 1987† | L.A. Lakers | 18 | – | 28.1 | .546 | – | .747 | 7.9 | .6 | .5 | .4 | 11.5 |
| 1988† | L.A. Lakers | 24 | – | 30.3 | .544 | – | .753 | 7.3 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 10.0 |
| 1989 | L.A. Lakers | 15 | – | 33.5 | .412 | .000 | .763 | 9.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .4 | 10.1 |
| 1990 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | – | 28.0 | .519 | – | .750 | 9.0 | 1.0 | .6 | .4 | 11.8 |
| 1991 | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 1 | 21.1 | .423 | .500 | .704 | 5.4 | .5 | .6 | .2 | 6.5 |
| 1992 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 4 | 38.3 | .410 | – | .826 | 9.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | .0 | 12.8 |
| 1993 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 5 | 44.0 | .429 | .000 | .619 | 14.6 | 2.6 | 1.4 | .6 | 9.8 |
| 1994 | Phoenix | 10 | 2 | 35.0 | .482 | .412 | .613 | 8.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .2 | 12.5 |
| 1995 | Phoenix | 10 | 10 | 36.8 | .462 | .083 | .873 | 12.0 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 12.8 |
| 1996 | Phoenix | 4 | 4 | 21.8 | .353 | .000 | .875 | 4.5 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 4.8 |
| 2000† | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 23 | 18.7 | .411 | – | .696 | 4.2 | .6 | 1.6 | .1 | 3.9 |
| 2001 | Miami | 3 | 0 | 7.0 | .333 | – | 1.000 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 153 | – | 26.9 | .475 | .250 | .739 | 7.1 | .8 | .7 | .3 | 8.6 | |
· Basketball Reference 
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