SAN FRANCISCO — When Andre Iguodala agreed to join the Golden State Warriors in 2013, the formation of a dynasty was not certain. At that time, Stephen Curry had yet to attain All-Star status, while Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were just beginning their professional journeys.
In hindsight, Iguodala’s willingness to make sacrifices and his keen vision played vital roles in securing four championship titles, including an NBA Finals MVP honor in 2015, which marked the Warriors’ first championship in forty years.
On Sunday, Iguodala was honored with his jersey retirement ceremony, where his number was raised to the rafters at Chase Center.
“It’s been a wild journey, but it’s been a beautiful blessing,” Iguodala stated during his heartfelt speech.
With this honor, Iguodala became the seventh player in franchise history to have his number retired, joining the ranks of legends such as Rick Barry (24), Wilt Chamberlain (13), and Chris Mullin (17).
Before joining the Warriors, Iguodala had already established himself as a formidable defensive player and a reliable starter in the league over his nine-season career. In Golden State, he took on the critical role of a veteran leader, recognizing the wealth of talent surrounding him.
“You sacrificed ego for excellence,” Curry remarked during the ceremony.
Curry acknowledged that Iguodala played a pivotal role in building the confidence, intelligence, and maturity of the emerging Warriors team. He noted how Iguodala transitioned from being the franchise star with the Philadelphia 76ers to becoming the essential “glue” that held the Warriors’ success together.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr emphasized the significance of Iguodala’s decision to join the team, pointing out that the franchise had struggled to attract free agents at the time. “That was a coup. I mean, the Warriors weren’t exactly getting a lot of free agents. So to sign Andre was obviously one of the key moves to this whole thing,” Kerr said, reflecting on the team’s upward trajectory following Iguodala’s arrival.
At the start of his journey with Golden State, Iguodala was 30 years old and had never accepted a bench role in his ten professional seasons. However, when Kerr became the coach, Iguodala willingly stepped into a bench position, describing it as a “great, unique situation” made easier by the talents of Curry, Thompson, and Green.
“It’s rare in professional sports to see a guy that’s kind of still in his prime take a back seat, or actually willingly move out of the way for the upcoming talent,” said the now 41-year-old Iguodala prior to the game.
This selflessness contributed to the Warriors’ championship victory in 2015, where Iguodala made history as the first player to earn NBA Finals MVP without starting every game in the series. Trusting Iguodala, Kerr shifted him into the starting lineup when the team was down 2-1 against the Cavaliers and assigned him the challenging task of guarding LeBron James.
Iguodala posted impressive averages of 16.3 points, 4.0 assists, and 5.8 rebounds, helping the Warriors secure the championship in six games against Cleveland.
“That was the ultimate validation of everything I’ve always believed in the game, and I do think other people recognize that,” Kerr mentioned. “It wasn’t lost on anyone, the sacrifice and the success and everything that kind of happened together.”
Selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft from Arizona, Iguodala played in 1,231 career games. His journey included eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, a lone year in Denver, six successful seasons with the Warriors, two in Miami, and a return to Golden State for his final two seasons. He contributed to championship wins in 2015, ’17, ’18, and 2022.
Iguodala noted that the core of the Warriors was driven by an insatiable desire for further success, especially after their first championship win.
“When we won the first one, it was almost like we had to prove it wasn’t a fluke,” he reflected. “Then, after the second, we felt we had to do it again because nobody could touch us. We were supposed to keep winning.”
He concluded by remarking on the relentless nature of elite athletes: “That’s just the unique characteristics of great athletes, those who are never satisfied. That was in the DNA of every individual, and it just bred into the fabric of the organization.”
