In addition to all of the superstars the Los Angeles Lakers are known for, the franchise also has a long history of being home to some of the greatest role players the NBA has ever seen as well. And one who doesn’t get talked about nearly enough is A.C. Green.
Green won three NBA Championships with the Lakers both in the ‘Showtime’ era alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, and then returning for one more alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. Green is also known for holding a record that many believe will never be broken with 1,192 consecutive games played. That took an unreal level of commitment and effort and his work ethic had a big impact on a future Hall of Famer in Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
Green was a member of the Mavericks when Nowitzki was drafted in 1998, being a trusted veteran during his rookie year. And Nowitzki recently revealed that he studied Green intently during that first NBA season, via Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News:
“I had a guy called A.C. Green. He played with the Showtime Lakers and was an ultimate pro. Played like 800 games straight or something. He had the longest Ironman streak. He was on the team my first year and I was just watching him. He was ripped at age 38, 39. I watched his every move in practice. How does he prepare? Does he stretch?”
Green missed three games during his second season in the NBA and never sat out a game again, so it makes sense that Nowitzki wanted to learn his secrets. And while he obviously never matched Green’s consecutive games streak, he did stay relatively healthy throughout most of his career. In fact, Nowitzki played fewer than 70 games in a season just five times in 21 years, and two of those were lockout seasons with fewer games played than normal.
There is a reason Green was known as the “Ironman” and he was a critical piece of multiple Lakers championships in completely different decades. There just aren’t many players who can say that and Nowitzki smartly understood that he could benefit greatly from studying his work ethic.
Lakers more willing to take back long-term salary after Luka Doncic extension
A.C. Green played with some of the greatest Lakers ever, and one who hopes to etch his name alongside those greats is current Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.
Doncic signed an extension to keep him in L.A. for the foreseeable future and, because of this, the franchise may now be more open to taking back long-term salary in trades if the right deal presents itself.
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