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ONTARIO, CA— Game after game, A.C. Green showed up, setting a National Basketball Association record for durability and helping the Los Angeles Lakers to three world championships.
On Sunday night (June 30), Green will join four other legends – University of Southern California All-American and 15-year National Football League quarterback Rodney Peete, San Diego State and NFL superstar Marshall Faulk, baseball super-agent Scott Boras and reknowned sports photographer Andrew D. Bernstein – as the newest members of the California Sports Hall of Fame.
Roy Firestone (Hall of Fame Class of 2022) will be the Master of Ceremonies for the Inductee Gala, to be held at the Ontario Convention Center.
“A.C. Green was a true basketball Iron Man, never missing a regular season game over the course of a decade and a half while playing championship basketball and serving as one of the great role models for our youth. It is a privilege to welcome him as a Hall of Famer, an honor he has earned through his performance and the example he set,” said Christian Okoye, a former NFL star who founded the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Green was born in Portland, OR, and was a standout in basketball at Oregon State University, where he finished second in school history in rebounding and fourth in scoring and would eventually earn a place the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor.
He was a first-round draft pick of the Lakers in 1985 and helped the team capture back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. He led the Lakers in rebounding for six of the eight years he was with the team and in 1990, was voted a starter for the Western Conference All Star Team.
Green spent time with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, which culminated in another championship. He finished his career the following year with the Miami Heat.
Green’s missed just eight games during his career, amassing a record-setting streak of 1,192 consecutive games played between November 1986 and April 2001.
A devout Christian, Green established the A.C. Green Youth Foundation, which operates youth camps to promote abstinence until marriage. In 2011, he was awarded the Bobby Jones Award by Athletes in Action for character, leadership and faith in the world of basketball, in the home and the community. Green’s humanitarian efforts earned him a spot in the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.
“Treat people the way you want to be treated. Character is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Always be the best version of yourself,” Green said.
Tickets are still available for the California Sports Hall of Fame Gala at: https://californiasportshalloffame.org/induction-ceremony-golf-event/. The event starts with a reception at 4 p.m., followed by a dinner and induction ceremony beginning at 5 p.m.
