A.C.'s streak ends

A.C. Green's consecutive games streak draws to a close...but one streak remains
October 31, 2001

A.C. Green has played in 1,192 games...straight. That's 1,192 times he didn't call in sick. That's 1,192 times he wasn't too sore, too tired, too late, to play the game that day. There are 82 games in an NBA season. That means it's been almost 15 years since A.C. Green missed a basketball game. Clears up any questions or confusion regarding the title, "Iron Man," doesn't it.

A.C. will not play consecutive game 1,193. The season began yesterday and, as of today, he remains a free agent. Some people may unknowingly stop counting. Not A.C.

"The streak," A.C. says, "never ends. More important, the person behind the streak, what it means, you never lose that. That'll never end. The numbers will stop rolling up from year to year. At the same time, when you say, 'persistence,' when you say, 'commitment,' 'dedication,' 'loyalty,' my name might come up somewhere in there, just for the very fact of being there every single night."

The strong body, the strong mind, the strong character...all the preparation that made A.C. the NBA Iron Man on the court, is also what makes A.C. the man he is off the court.

"There's always an excuse to do less. Less reps. I want to get up late. I want to leave practice early. I don't want to go today. I have a hangnail. There's always a reason why we don't want to meet a certain standard. It takes a person who has an order to them, to not give in to the mediocrity. I take it as a challenge. I take it as a person more than as a player. I don't identify with being a player as the great important thing. It's being a person."

We thank A.C. for the memories we have. More importantly, we thank him for the memories that are yet to come.