A.C. Green: Iron Virgin

Overview

He played in a record 1,192 consecutive NBA games. As a power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, he won two NBA championships. But what made A.C. Green even more distinctive was the courage of his convictions. As this ESPN 30 for 30 Short points out, Green was a devout Christian who says he maintained his virginity throughout his 16 years in the NBA, nine of them spent in the tempting, hedonistic atmosphere of LA. That didn’t stop him from being a fierce, passionate competitor on the court. It just meant that he was someone who, as teammate James Worthy says, “could stay strong and not be broken.” It was only after he retired after the 2000-01 season that Green got married.

Isaac Feder