NBA star A.C. Green talks about his faith

By GREG KEIM
THE GOSHEN NEWS

July 17, 2008 01:28 pm

— A.C. Green can’t give the exact dates when the Los Angeles Lakers won their three NBA titles during his playing career.
He just knows they won three championships.
The 6-9 former power forward can tell you the exact date — Aug. 2, 1981 — when his life changed dramatically.
“I went with 10 of my friends to visit a teacher who had worked with Young Life in our high school,” the 44-year-old Portland, Oregon, native told a group of about 600 at the 17th annual Elkhart Community Leaders Prayer Breakfast Wednesday morning at Memorial High School.
“It was a different church than I was used to. I was brought up in a church with loud singing where people got up and danced around. Here the people took their seats and stayed there.
“The preacher started his sermon by asking, ‘Do you want to go to Heaven? Or do you want to go to Hell?’
“In my mind I started thinking I was a shoo-in to go to Heaven, because sitting there with my friends I was remembering all the bad stuff they had done. The preacher said ‘You can’t get to Heaven because of what your parents did or because your grandparents were good.’ The only way to get there was to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“This was news to me and I realized knowing Jesus had nothing to do with how high I could jump, how many times I was on television or how many times my name was in the newspaper.”
Green was a freshman at Oregon State at the time.
“That was the seed being watered,” he said. “There was a lot of planning, commitment and dedication taking place.”
After college, Green went on to play in the NBA for the Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. He won NBA titles with the Lakers in 1987, 1988 and 2000; playing with such greats as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Two of his coaches were Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.
Vince Turner, vice president and client relationship manager at Mutual Bank, introduced Green.
“God works in mysterious ways,” Turner said. “Last Sunday, I was doing some research on A.C. for my introduction. I remembered watching him when he was with the Lakers beat my beloved (Boston) Celtics. By the way, A.C., you are forgiven.
“I then sat down to watch my other favorite team, the Red Sox. Sorry all you Cubs fans.
“The new Sports Illustrated was there and I started looking through it. In one of their ‘Where Are They Now’ pieces was a an article on A.C. and it couldn’t have been a better introduction.
“The author began by looking for words to describe A.C. One was champion, because he won three NBA titles. Another phrase was ‘Iron Man’ since he still holds the NBA record by playing in 1,192 straight games from 1986 to 2001.
“Then the author used a word we seldom hear about professional athletes — celibate.”
Green was a bachelor throughout his playing career and the article went on to say he was famous for his commitment to remain celibate until he married.
“I love that people remember me for that,” said Green in the SI article. “I took a stand and I was a voice for a generation. I’m proud of that.”
Green was often asked how he could live the NBA lifestyle and remain a virgin.
“People often wondered how I could be so committed to Jesus is such a public way,” he said. “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel. To me the answer was very simple. I didn’t see it as being any different than where I started out with Pastor David Elling back at Oregon State telling me I was going to know the Bible.
“No one other than God knew I was going to play in the NBA. What is so different than you being me. It’s the same Bible, the same Jesus Christ and the same commitment to God. It just so happens mine was in a more public life.”
A.C. and his wife Veronique were married in 2002.
He established the A.C. Green Youth Foundation in 1989, with the main focus on sexual abstinence education. His mission is helping young people build self-esteem and character, and learn moral and ethical principles which will help them make responsible decisions.
Green remembered when Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the Lakers after contracting HIV.
“Earvin (Magic) walked in the locker room and told us what was going on. We were all speechless,” Green said.
“Afterwards he pulled me aside and wanted to talk. He wanted to pray like we had on many other occasions. We asked for God’s help so he could endure what he was going through. You never know who is going to need your words.”
Turner concluded the program saying, “A.C. we have had a lot of speakers here. Some have been funnier, but I’m not sure any have been more powerful.
“I wish I could be A.C. Green and it’s not because of his basketball ability. No, I wish I could be as faithful as he is.”

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