1986: The “mission” that stopped Green walking away

As the Adelaide 36ers prepare to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the club’s inaugural championship in 1986, we’ve created a series of articles that tell the story of one of the most incredible seasons in NBL history.
‍

1986 was one of the most remarkable seasons on record in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers winning their first national championship, but many wouldn’t know that one of the key reasons for that success almost walked away before the season even began.

At the end of 1985, Al Green was named part of the All-NBL First Team for a second time.

He’d come off a campaign in which he had averaged 31 points, six rebounds and 5.1 assists, and had guided the Adelaide 36ers to the NBL Grand Final.

Losing in the final to Brisbane hurt. He’d tasted championship success before, with West Adelaide in a NBL MVP season in 1982, but this opportunity felt different.

The Sixers were reeling, having expected to win and knowing they were capable. There was a burning in the pit of his stomach. In part he felt unfulfilled on the court. But there was another burning desire that confronted him.

The high-scoring, explosive guard who could take over a basketball game almost single handedly was considering quitting the sport all together for an opportunity to sprint at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

What followed was one of the great ‘what could have been’ moments.

“You're crying because you’ve just lost a final we should have won, but at the same time, you say, ‘look, I’ve got other things that's happening in my life with the Commonwealth Games, running for Australia’,” Green explained to Adelaide 36ers Media.

“I even spoke to the coaches that were trying to get me to represent Australia in running, and I said, ‘no, I can't, I can't do it, because I got a bond happening with these guys. I have a mission to fulfil’

“And I didn't do it.”

Green was an accomplished multi-sport athlete, initially drafted by the NFL’s San Diego Chargers in 1979 as a defensive back, purely on his athletic ability and size, despite never having played American Football in an official capacity.

A month later the Phoenix Suns picked him up with the 64h pick in the 1979 NBA draft, though he never made his NBA debut.

When that didn’t work out, the New York-born guard made the move to Australia after being convinced by the great Ken Cole, who he met while at college with LSU.

In Adelaide, Green took to athletics, winning the prestigious Bay Sheffield 120 metre sprint race from the backmarker position in 1983 before repeating the feat in 1984.

To this day he remains the only male athlete to go back-to-back from the backmarker position.

And after being naturalised as an Australian, Green retired from professional running in 1985 to give himself the opportunity to qualify for the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

The ultimate entertainer – a scorer and a creator, who fit perfectly in the aggressive, attacking style that Sixers coach Ken Cole wanted to play – Green thought long and hard about his decision.

“Believe me I did think for a long time, but it was more of an individual thing compared to a team thing,” Green explained. “And I put the team first.”

“I don't know how good I could have been in the Commonwealth Games, but I knew I had to represent the 36ers. That was my focus.

“You could say ‘what if?’ about a lot of things but I’ve never really worried about it.

“I was so happy getting ready to achieve what we were going to achieve for ‘86, especially when we did.”

Another key part of the puzzle was Mark Davis.

He was close to Green. Still is. He’s pragmatic about what might have been if his friend wasn’t on the court beside him.

“We live in a sliding door world,” he said. “One door opens but it opens up another one.

‍

“We’ll never know what would have happened if he wasn’t there but I’m glad he was.

“He had the talent to do well (at the Commonwealth Games). He was lucky to have that talent, and he made the decision he did.

“He played a very important part in what we did. But everyone played their part. You have to in a team sport.”

And while Green was part of the West Adelade Bearcats 1982 NBL championship winning side, when asked about where the 1986 success with the 36ers ranks among his career highlights, he doesn’t even pause.

“Top,” he smiled.

“I won one a couple of years before that, but we're starting out in the National League and some of those were on that same team – the Peter Ali’s, Mike McKays, Ray Woods and all those guys were on the same team.

“But it was a different feel.

“I loved winning. You know, your first one is like your first girlfriend. It’s something important but (1986) was a nucleus of all of us getting together and doing something for South Australia.

“All the egos were left at the door, and let's go out there and perform for South Australia.”

Green parted ways with the Sixers at the end of the 1990 NBL season, playing a further three seasons for the Newcastle Falcons.

In all he played 340 NBL games – 164 of them with the Adelaide 36ers – and in April 2022 was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

He still holds the all-time NBL scoring record with 71 points for West Adelaide against Frankston in 1984.

‍

In the fifth part of our 1986 Championship series recount, we’ll look back at the business end of the season when the pressure really ramped up.

‍