A.C. Green is a retired American NBA basketball player who has played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA and ABA history. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat.

Green is recognized for being deeply religious and has been noted as one of the few to begin and end his NBA career as a virgin.  He has been asked numerous times why he is a virgin. His response to these questions is that he chose to be abstinent because of the self-respect and high regard he has for his body and he feels that is where God wanted him at that time in his life. He says that in today’s society because most people think you need to have sex to be happy he is the odd man out. But to him, “being different, being unusual, being odd is not a problem for [him].” He says, “I am who and what I am, and I’m quite comfortable with that.” And with all the risks associated with sex, he is surprised there are not more people who take a vow of abstinence until marriage. He kept his vow of abstinence until he married his wife Veronique Green, in 2002.

A.C. Green is so passionate about his message for abstinence before marriage and working with the youth that he established the A.C. Green Youth Foundation (www.acgreen.com).  The A.C. Green Youth Foundation provides abstinence programs for middle and high schoolers, videos, leadership camps, and ClubAC.com, a youth website. A.C.’s mission “is to help young people build self-esteem and character, and learn moral and ethical principles which will help them make responsible decisions.”

By Ruth Gapp for Make a Sound Choice