In this era of the NBA, most teams choose to give players games off here and there throughout the season in order to make sure they’re rested and healthy once the playoffs come. But that wasn’t the case back in the day, and certainly not for long-time Los Angeles Lakers forward A.C. Green.
Green is famous for holding the record of 1,192 consecutive games played without ever sitting out. The streak stretched from Green’s second NBA season in 1986 until the final game of his career in 2001 with no active player even close as Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks has the longest active streak at just 556 and counting.
There is often a lot of debate about the game of basketball today compared to previous eras and Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade believes someone like Green doesn’t get the credit he deserves. On a recent episode of “The Timeout” podcast, Wade praised Green for his consecutive games played streak, noting that while some may not respect his skill set compared to today’s players, the ability to remain healthy for that long should be commended:
“Players back in the day don’t get a lot of respect from players nowadays because of the skill set is different, right?. But that’s not the only—that’s not what makes you great is your skill set. And so you look at someone like an A.C. Green, who most players today, if you went up to him, they probably wouldn’t know who he is—he was available for 1,100 games straight. That’s crazy. That right there is one of the biggest—the best—skill sets you can ever have. When you want to talk about the game of basketball. So shout out to him and what he had to do to keep himself healthy, in shape, and on a roster and all these different things back in the day.”
It is often said that the best ability is availability and no player represents that better than Green. It seems that every year some important players are being lost to injury and the ability to stay healthy for 15 straight years is truly unbelievable.
Green was never a star, but he was a valuable role player to three Lakers championship teams. Players like him will never make the Hall of Fame, but they should still be fondly remembered and respected so Wade giving him his flowers is great to see.
Lakers’ LeBron James discusses the importance of role players to playoff success
Role players like A.C. Green are imperative to the success of championship teams and Lakers superstar LeBron James understands that very well.
James recently spoke on this in an episode of his podcast, noting that having players who star in their role and do exactly what is asked of them at a high level is crucial to winning championships in the NBA.
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