Anhelenos! The legend

When the NBA landed media how Spain were times, still battles Lakers-Celtics and a version of Angelenos (champion in 1987 and 1988) all fans learned we Memory: Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy, AC Green and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with Mychal Thompson as sixth man . Of these, one of the great teams in history and one that on this side of the Atlantic felt like a nearly impossible fun the more earthly heroes among men (like the indomitable warriors Boston), almost the only earthly actually was AC Green. The worker, the glue of a legendary team, the player put cement and sweat between hooks Kareem , external pumps Scott and mattes Worthy career and after no – look passes millimetric of Magic. And yet, in a sense, AC Green was the human less . At least, if we talk about instincts …

The story is part of the legend of the NBA and now recovers actor Will Ferrell in a documentary being produced and which is handling the interviews : AC Green broke the record of matches in a row and did, he said , by absolute abstinence. Alcohol, drugs and sex …. They were, we must remember, those Lakers 80 passing through cities like rock stars and the parties continued their Forum in Inglewood with parties organized by the owner, Jerry Buss. It was the Hollywood a decade in which the dangers of cocaine is only intuited and where the girls lined up to meet members of the best basketball team in the world . In those circumstances, AC Green played 1192 games in a row (still an absolute record for the iron virgin : virgin iron) of 1281 and 1278 he played in his career : 99.8%. Only three lost, in his second season (1986-87) and his consecutive games streak lasted from 19 November 1986 to 18 April 2001.

Green won three titles: 1987, 88 and 2000, back in the Lakers (who gave him the number 23 draft pick in 1985) after passing Suns and Mavericks and Miami before retiring. In its first stage in LA, was rebounding team (the glue ) in six of eight seasons and even became All Star in 1990 after averaging nearly 13 points and 9 rebounds per game . Green for the key to his longevity was in virginity, he held throughout his career and until he married his wife, Veronique, with nearly 39 years after retiring (your wedding, April 20, 2002). Of course that could also influence a type of chronic hiccups that would not let him sleep more than two hours and only soothed nonstop training .

The issue of virginity came with his iron conversion to Christianity in his high school years, something he did not miss either nor his single class throughout their student life. Then sexual abstinence in a Lakers were pure carnal party: in hotels, Magic Johnson was sending girls to his room , which he rejected many times not just open the door and reciting phrases from the Bible. Thus he grew the legend of virgin iron , at least one type with an amazing will.

Then when I had sex with his wife after the wedding, he said the wait ” was worth ” and only had ” a constant smile on his face .” He also spoke of what supposed its position in those crazy 80s: ” I know my teammates and even players from other teams made bets, it seemed impossible to fulfill my word. The truth is that most of those who entered the scene lost their heads: the girls were really nice. But it took about six months and they began to see he was serious, it was a matter of discipline indispensable to me. In fact, some years later I have come to say that I wish I would have known better also some of the things they did . ”

¿A guy or extremely fascinating boring? Of course a unique story in the NBA, will soon again be topical thanks to the documentary ” The Iron Virgin ” and Will Ferrell, who must have thought that AC Green ( and their circumstances …) had absolutely nothing boring.