Few players in NBA history represent durability and consistency like A.C. Green. A three-time champion and owner of one of the most unbreakable records in professional sports — 1,192 consecutive games played — Green’s career spanned the Showtime Lakers era through the early 2000s.
In an exclusive interview, Green discussed the modern NBA’s biggest talking points, from tanking and load management to rivalries, faith, and the values he believes still define true professionals.
(This Q&A has been edited for brevity.)
Key Takeaways
- A.C. Green believes tanking creates a difficult environment for young players trying to learn professionalism, saying, “You compete to win.”
- Faith and strong personal values helped him navigate the pressure and visibility of playing for marquee teams like the Showtime Lakers.
- Green welcomes today’s players embracing fatherhood and family publicly, calling it “about time.”
- Green says Lakers–Celtics games were always “war” and believes modern rivalries fade because players don’t stay together long enough.
- On expansion teams, Green says he’d love Seattle back — “Especially if I owned them” — and adds he’s “always” in those conversations.
- For MVP, Green still backs LeBron: “You can have everybody else.”
Green’s former team, the Lakers, are currently priced at +6500 to win the championship according to The Action Network’s consensus odds. If you back them, many of the best sportsbooks offer competitive odds on this market.
Teams tanking and the challenge of learning professionalism
Q: You said last year, talking to your former teammate Byron Scott on his podcast that a lot of rookies walk into organizations in chaos. What do you think about teams deliberately losing games to get better draft picks next year?
A.C. Green: “It's a tough introduction to professional sports.
Through high school, college, you're so used to just competing and you don't compete to lose.
You compete to win. With the tanking to prioritise draft positions…even just watching the win-loss column for the wrong motives.
It's tough on a young player to really understand the true essence of being a professional.
At the highest level that they could be. Be it the NBA, NFL, MLB, soccer. The principle stands, that you get out there and you wanna win.”
Can an Iron Man streak still happen in today’s NBA?
Q: Do you think it’s still possible to have an Iron Man streak today? Mikal Bridges is probably the closest right now, somewhere in the 500s. Could anyone realistically approach what you accomplished with the way teams and training staff manage the regular season now?
A.C.: “Playing every night is tough, in today's world load management is favored by teams, now it's about the drive and attitude that will get you there. They [the training staff] make it harder.
They definitely make it harder. Because the focus is more of a long term play that they're looking at.”
Q: Did the training staff ever suggest that you take a night off — other than the time when you broke your teeth?
“ It's a great question, but no it didn't happen!”
Big-market pressure, fame, and faith as an anchor
Q: A lot of players who live quieter lives have said it can be difficult adjusting to high-profile environments, especially on big-market teams that sometimes feel like a circus day to day. You experienced that firsthand with the Showtime Lakers and later with those early-2000s teams.
Did you find yourself leaning more on your spirituality during those intense moments, or was it something that consistently helped you navigate that environment with a sense of calm and perspective?
A.C.: “I think it's more of the latter. It was definitely an anchor. Your faith, your assurance, your confidence. However, you were tapped in and, and linked in to that, that source that you absolutely needed.
The more popular your team is, the more challenges you're gonna have on and off the court. Just because you're at that echelon of being that marquee team. My faith has always been my anchor — my source of truth
It's also good, solid teammates who help you stay on that path that you wanna stay on. As well as just good other support, family, outside of the team. When you get those showtime era teams, my new millennial Laker team.
The more you're on tv, not all the ‘good’ is looking at you.”
How A.C. Green flipped the switch competitively
Q: Byron talked about how tough you were — how physical and fiercely competitive you were on the court. I’m curious about how you balanced that with the sense of peace you’ve spoken about finding through your faith, whether that was in a hotel room, at chapel, or before a game.
How did you mentally and emotionally make that transition from a calm, grounded place into such an intense competitive environment? What was that process like for you?
A.C.: “New levels, new devils! I sort of just alluded to that. What helped me was just understanding once again, who I was.
Understanding not only my role on the team. But also who I was as a person and the man that I was.
Understanding the faith that lived within me, how powerful it really is.
Because then I finally got a grip on that extra power. And that outlet, that source that God really provides.
It really helped me. It really helped shape and frame the warrior mentality. That to me was the key to my success, was my disposition. Looking in the mirror and understanding
that, you are a man's man. Had the favor of God in your life, that you didn't run from adversity.
You didn't run from challenges. You ran to it. You ran to the battlefield. You lived and loved being in the trench, because you were fighting for your brothers. You're fighting with your brothers. And so all those things just helped you to just never back down.
Because you understood, I got more than my opponent has within him, or any other circumstance I might face off this court. I'm always gonna be victorious.”
The modern NBA’s family-forward image
Q: You got a lot of attention early on for your stance on abstinence and for representing a different image of NBA players. Today, we see stars like Chris Paul, LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Jayson Tatum openly embracing fatherhood and family in their public identity. As someone who’s represented those values for a long time, what’s your reaction to that shift in how players present themselves?
A.C.: “I love it. It’s about time, and we need more of it. Steph Curry — when he had little Riley with him at the podium during the playoffs — she didn’t know where she was. She just knew, that’s my daddy, and I’m sitting in my daddy’s lap, and she wanted to say something. And it’s just — yes, we need more of that.
We need more guys stepping up and realizing they have a platform. Let’s use that platform. For your family’s sake, let your kids get involved or be exposed to parts of your life.
You don’t have to show them everything — they don’t need to see every aspect of what you do — but you don’t have to shut them out from everything either.
And you never know — along the way, you might inspire another family or another parent.
You might say something that parents and grandparents are already trying to tell their kids, but sometimes it takes someone outside the home to reinforce it. Teachers try to say the same things too. And that’s just how a lot of kids learn. I know that’s how it was for me — my parents said it, but when someone I respected or thought was cool said the exact same thing, suddenly the light bulb went off.”
LeBron on injuries, pace, and playing farther from the basket
Q: LeBron recently said that the game is harder now than when he came into the league, and that the way the game is played today — especially having to defend closer to the three-point line — is contributing to the number of injuries we’re seeing. What are your thoughts on that?
A.C.: “I definitely wouldn't put the whole onus on that.
I think it is faster as the decades go on. The game has gotten further away from the basket, it used to be an inside out game. I’m sort of in line with what Lebron was saying with his statement.
Rules change all the time in this sport. A player must learn to pivot based on these new rules in the jump zone and needs to be aware of the landing spaces.
It's always an adjustment for all players and when caught up in the moment it can be tough.”
LeBron’s teammate, Luka Doncic is currently listed at +10000 to win MVP this year at FanDuel. If you want to get in on the action, check out this FanDuel promo code before you do.
Lakers vs Celtics: what rivalries used to mean
Q: A lot of Lakers fans were really upset after the Lakers got blown out the other night by the Celtics. That happens in the NBA, but the idea is that you should never have that kind of performance against the Celtics. When you hear that, what goes through your mind as a former Laker?
A.C.: “That's straight personal. The Celtic games were always the one you wanted, the one you had to win. It's the one that you circled on your calendar. When the season came out in July your question was – when are we going to Boston, and when's Boston coming to LA?
It was just that type of a rivalry. You never worried about where you were, if you or the team were gonna be ready because that you knew was gonna be war.”
Q: Why do you think rivalries have cooled off so much in the modern NBA?
A.C.: “ Well you don't keep your teams together long enough.
You can't have a rivalry just based on [team] banners. The banners don't hate one another. It's the individuals and their personalities that come along with it, but you gotta understand and realize what the culture is. And if you're not there long enough in that system, then you're just passing by.
So you're not gonna have a chance to really develop a real rivalry. I think our modern day guys and girls in their various sports, can look back on college days. And this is pre NIL and transfer portal. Where you have time allows rivalries to be built and personalities, culture, to be developed.
And if you don't give it the time, then it's just gonna be another game. And then you're gonna hug it out. After the game and then go have breakfast, lunch or dinner, whatever it might be, with the guy you supposedly hate.”
What late-career greatness demands
Q: You played alongside a lot of legends. With LeBron trying to navigate the end to his career, what are your thoughts on those last few years for a player at that level.
A.C.: “You already know how to play at that level. You just try to play efficiently, going down to the latter part of your career.
There's the same challenges in the sense of it's more mental than really physical, as you get in the older days and times of a person's career.
So what LeBron is doing is a perfect example. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook. These guys who have got over that 15 year mark – it says a whole lot about their approach mentally.
I give my respect and praise to those guys.”
Charles Barkley: inside-out, complete, and relentlessly competitive
Q: You joined the Suns the year after Charles was MVP and they made the Finals. What stood out most about Charles’ game? If you had to describe what made him special on the court, what do you remember that really separates him from how people see him today?
A.C.: “Charles was an inside-out player. He could post up, but he also had a strong perimeter game. He was a real matchup problem for opponents because he could do a little bit of everything — hit the three, take you off the dribble, score in the post, and make plays for others. He had great court vision and was just an all-around, complete player.
Like you said, he was truly special, and this generation hasn’t really had the chance to fully see how dominant and tough he was on the court.
And honestly, his personality hasn’t changed.What you see today is exactly how he was in the locker room, on the team bus, or on the plane — goofy, funny, always saying something wild. That’s just how he’s wired. But once he laced up his shoes, he was a dog — a fierce competitor.”
Cooper Flagg, Dallas, and learning how to fit
Q: You spent a couple years with the Mavericks. I was curious if you watched any of Cooper Flagg this season?
A.C.: “Yeah, I have. Michael Finley is one of the executives over there, and he was one of my teammates. Dirk is still obviously a part of the organization, so I still watch them and support them. And Cooper — I like what I’m seeing.
Coming into this season, his first one, he didn’t come in trying to be something he wasn’t. He came in trying to understand where he was at, and a lot of young players don’t really do that. I’m glad that as the season has progressed, he’s started to see where and how he can be effective out there on the court — where he can find his shot, how teams are going to play him, what they think about him, and how they’re going to try to defend him.
More importantly, he’s figuring out where he fits in that system. Obviously, their team just keeps changing, but they’re only going to get better with the level of players they have — and when Irving gets back, obviously, it’s just going to improve. I think down the road it’s going to be good for him and for them.
So yeah, I’m 100 percent in support of Cooper, as well as the Mavericks team. I love what they’re trying to put together over there.”
Finals picks: Detroit as the underdog, and a Lakers “miracle” ask
Q: Charles Barkley has said he thinks the Cavs are coming out of the East. Who do you think is making the Finals this year?
A.C.: “Well, the last game I had a chance to go to was the Lakers–Celtics game, and the Celtics — if they can do what they did to the Lakers — they’re pretty tough.
In the East, though, I’m going to go with Detroit as the underdog, just because it’s in my blood — we can’t be putting the Celtics out there. On the West side, it’s obviously more of a challenge. Will it be Denver? Will it be OKC? You don’t know how injuries are going to play out.
Denver is a team that kind of scares me because they’ve been there and done it. They’re starting to get their playoff swag back. So I’m watching Denver and OKC. You can never rule out the champs, but I’m really watching Denver on the West side.
And of course, I can only say — please, somehow let a miracle happen and let the Lakers get there.”
NBA expansion: Seattle, ownership dreams, and “those conversations”
Q: If Seattle is chosen as an expansion team, would you be glad to see them back in the NBA?
A.C.: “Especially if I owned them — yeah, that would be awesome. Absolutely. And being a Northwest guy, I’m biased.
I’d love to see that happen, just for the sake of having basketball back in the Northwest outside of Portland.
So yeah, I’d love to see it. I’m all for it — and yeah, I’d love to own the team as well.”
Q: Have you been in those talks?
A.C.: “I’m always in those kinds of conversations, and I’m always interested.”
A.C. Green backs LeBron for MVP
Q: Who’s your pick for MVP this year?
A.C.: “My MVP — you know, I know how the game works and how the MVP selections go, this, that, and the other.
But I still like LeBron.
I already know the reality of that, but I understand what it takes to play at the level he’s playing at. And to see what he’s doing consistently — my hat goes off to LeBron.
You can have everybody else.”
