Former NBA player AC Green famously adhered to a vow of abstinence before marriage, a topic that arose during his appearance on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast. Co-host Kid Jay asked Green which of his former Los Angeles Lakers teammates had tried to send a woman his way, to which Green humorously revealed that it was more than one player.

Kid Jay: “Which one of these goons tried to send a female to you to break that?”

Byron Scott: “I just told you my story, so you know it wasn’t me…”

AC Green: “Let me make one little correction. You said a female?”

Jay: “Oh! It’s more than one?”

Scott: “It still wasn’t me. I know that. You can say what you want. I was trying to keep them away, ‘Get away from here.'”

Green: “That’s true… That was all and has always been part of my faith, just my own understanding, just my own self-respect. Just something I chose and wanted to do and never forced it upon anyone because it wasn’t about them. It’s about what works for you. That was always fun and cool, but I didn’t honestly think of it to be anything abnormal to me, okay?

“That was just me, that’s what I thought was right for me to do and what I was interested in doing. I was more trying to figure out how to play with these dudes, how to live with these guys, and how to function in society. I figured that time would come, okay? I was cool with waiting.”

Green played in the NBA for 16 seasons after the Lakers selected him with the 23rd pick in the 1985 Draft. Despite the attention that came with being a star, he abstained from sex throughout his career, even with his teammates’ actions.

Although Green never pressured his teammates to follow his example, he worked to spread the message of abstinence among younger generations. In 1989, he founded the A.C. Green Youth Foundation, which organizes camps to promote abstinence until marriage.

Green retired from the NBA at 37 in 2001 as a virgin but didn’t remain one for long. He married Veronique in 2002, and they consummated their marriage sometime after.

It’s remarkable that Green managed to resist temptation for so long, particularly considering the stories about NBA players and women. He shared one of his own stories during the podcast.

“I was just driving in this beautiful city called LA and I started laughing,” Green recalled. “I literally began laughing because I had a flashback, a traumatic flashback. I checked into the hotel, dropped my bags off, and was heading out to get some drinks and refreshments.”

“I said I gotta get some… I want it cold,” Green continued. “So I dropped my bags, grabbed my ice bucket, and ran down to get some ice. I literally, no kidding, saw two fur coat ladies by the ice machine… I’m thinking fur coat? Heels, nails, hair, and I’m like, ‘I’m not that thirsty anymore.’”

Something told me there was probably even less under those jackets and I don’t want any of that. I’m good,” Green added.

Byron Scott admitted that he would have gone straight to the ladies, which would likely be the case for most NBA players. Green, however, stood out as an exception.

Although Green’s commitment to abstaining from sex until marriage is a major part of his story, his successful NBA career is equally notable. He won three championships, made one All-Star team, and was selected to one All-Defensive Team.

Green also set an NBA record that may never be broken, playing 1,192 consecutive regular-season games. The biggest threat to that record is Mikal Bridges, but Bridges is still far from breaking it, with 528 consecutive games played.