Bub Carrington, the Washington Wizards' guard, has played in 125 consecutive regular-season NBA games, the fourth-longest active streak. He credits his love of the sport and his late father's work ethic for his achievement. Carrington's rugged approach to the game belies his baby face, and he knows that sports fans obsess over streaks. He grew up in Baltimore, the city that adores Cal Ripken Jr., who played in a record 2,632 consecutive baseball games for the Orioles. Carrington doesn't call attention to his own streak, and he prefers that everyone would focus on almost anything else. The number of games he's played in a row is a byproduct of his love of the sport and the fierce work ethic fostered by his late father, Carlton Carrington Jr. Carrington had to fight to reach the NBA, often being one of the smallest players on the court in youth leagues. He compensated by outworking his peers and outsmarting them through his feel for the game. He would do defensive slide drills in a sand pit to work on his conditioning, agility, and explosiveness. Carrington's plan was to surround himself with people who understood what it took to be great, and he had an older brother who played Division I football. He knew all the workouts and different things that you had to do to be better. Carrington continued working when he reached the University of Pittsburgh, often being the first player to arrive at the gym, eager to get in extra work.