Dirk Nowitzki Learns from A.C. Green…
The Los Angeles Lakers, known for their bling as much as their basketball, have been the homeland of legendary hoopsters and award-winning benchwarmers alike. One unsung hero in all this is A.C. Green, basically the Caesar Salad of basketball: a true classic! Green, who won a triple crown of NBA titles with the Lakers, also holds a record that might last longer than a sitcom rerun marathon—1,192 straight games without a break. Needless to say, his superhuman commitment left a mark on Dirk Nowitzki during his rookie run with the Dallas Mavericks, as Green was to Dirk what Yoda was to Luke Skywalker.
Dirk recently disclosed that he was basically tailing Green like a detective on a high-stakes case, trying to solve the mystery of eternal youth. Back in 1998, when Dirk arrived, Green was on the Mavs lineup and didn’t miss a game ever since his second season, apparently having a better streak than most people’s New Year resolutions. Dirk raced after him, not literally, though, hoping to absorb his invincibility aura. Although Dirk couldn’t out-highlander Green’s streak, his health game was top-tier, missing playing fewer than 70 games in a season only five times across 21 years. It’s clear why Green is still crowned the ‘Ironman’—he was not just built to play but to inspire unlikely immortality in budding legends like Dirk.
