Adelaide 36ers retire playing numbers of NBL club legends Al green and Darryl Pearce
SIXERS stars “Mean Machine” and “Iceman” will have their uniform numbers retired by Adelaide’s NBL club on Saturday.
THE retired uniform numbers of Adelaide 36ers’ legends Mark Davis and Brett Maher will be joined in the Adelaide Arena rafters on Saturday with Al Green and Darryl Pearce’s singlets.
Green and Pearce formed the lethal backcourt of the 36ers’ first NBL championship team in 1986, “The Invincibles” which stormed to an unprecedented 24-2 win-loss record, both losses on last-second buzzer-beaters.
Green, then known by his nickname “Mean Machine” for his ferocious competitiveness, was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame in 1999.
Running mate Pearce, nicknamed “The Iceman” for his forever cool on-court demeanour, similarly became a Hall of Famer in 2002.
At halftime of Saturday’s Adelaide 36ers-Townsville Crocodiles NBL clash, Pearce’s #4 and Green’s #15 will join Davis’ #33 and Maher’s #5 as the club’s retired singlets.
The irony will be the fact Townsville coach Shawn Dennis will be here to witness the ceremony.
Dennis was playing for Newcastle Falcons in 1988 and defending Pearce when the 36ers’ super-shooter went off for a club record 48 points in Newcastle.
Life was no easier switching over to defend Green that night, Adelaide’s playmaker going off for 31.
Green burst onto the NBL scene with West Adelaide in 1981 and won the league’s MVP award the following year.
He holds the record for most points in a game with 71 for the Bearcats in 1984 when he averaged 39.5 ppg.
Pearce played 258 games for the 36ers and Green 164.