SAN FRANCISCO — With his family and former teammates such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on hand, Andre Iguodala was honored Sunday by the Golden State Warriors as the franchise raised his No. 9 jersey to the rafters at the Chase Center.
Iguodala became only the seventh Warriors player to have his jersey retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Chris Mullin (No. 17), Nate Thurmond (No. 42), Alvin Attles (No. 16), Rick Barry (No. 24) and Tom Meschery (No. 14).
Iguodala spent much of his retirement ceremony speech thanking behind-the-scenes staff members of the Warriors organization, and his gratitude extended to fans and teammates.
“None of this would have happened without all of you, the fans,” he said.
“We haven’t really had time to reflect, Steph, you made the world turn. That is not something you say lightly. You truly changed the game of basketball. It was beautiful. … I understood my role. I understood the genius of Draymond [Green], the genius of Klay, the genius of Kevin Durant. … Shaun Livingston and I … we had this unique team that understood, had this precious ultra-talented assassin. Steph, none of this happens without you.”
The versatile forward, who was one of the Warriors’ most significant acquisitions in franchise history in 2013 and sacrificed by coming off the bench, is the first from the four-championship Golden State dynasty core to be honored with one of the highest honors a player can earn from a franchise. Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant all likely will join Iguodala once they retire.
Curry called it “weird and surreal” to see Iguodala be the first from the championship core to be honored. Curry also said Iguodala’s decision to join the Warriors and add his basketball IQ was a pivotal moment for the franchise and helped turn a contender into a dynasty.
“Since you left that locker room, it has been hard to fill that void,” Curry said. “But you also left me with the title of oldest Warrior. … When we see that jersey up in the rafters, deservedly so, it just sinks in that we are old.”
Iguodala helped Golden State win titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. The 6-foot-6 swingman won Finals MVP in 2015, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the six-game Finals win. He was inserted into the starting lineup after Golden State trailed 2-1 in the series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Warriors won three straight games.
He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.0 minutes over eight seasons (2013-19, 2021-23).
“I think we all can feel it but this isn’t just about a number going into the rafters,” Curry said. “This is about a player who changed the course of our entire franchise. … You were the first one to choose us, and that meant the world. For a team that knew we were good but didn’t know how to get to that next level, you unlocked so much confidence, so much IQ, so much maturity to what we did.
“You sacrificed ego for excellence, which for us is the Warriors way.”
On a day when the Warriors celebrated their championships past, they also debuted Jimmy Butler at home and kept things rolling with their newest star.
The Warriors routed the Dallas Mavericks 126-102 in Butler’s first game at home. Butler has helped Golden State begin to turn its season around, with the Warriors improving to 5-1 with the forward in the lineup. Four of the wins have come in blowout fashion. The Warriors (30-27) have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 15.
Curry led the Warriors with 30 points and seven assists. Butler scored 18 points and had five assists but his impact has gone beyond statistics. Butler’s presence has rejuvenated Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr, and the team looks vastly different than the one that struggled before the trade. Golden State is now two games in the loss column behind the sixth-place LA Clippers. The Warriors say sixth, which avoids the play-in, is their goal with 25 games remaining in the season.
“The game feels easier for us right now,” Kerr said. “Jimmy, the game makes sense when he is out there. He gets to the line. He makes plays. … You can feel the difference for sure.”
After the win, the Warriors held their ceremony for Iguodala with representatives of the six Warriors legends who already had their jerseys retired in attendance. In addition to current players, former teammates such as Livingston were there, as well as Rob Pelinka, Iguodala’s former agent and the Los Angeles Lakers‘ general manager. Thompson and Mavericks GM Nico Harrison stayed to attend the celebration. And former Warriors GM Bob Myers spoke at the ceremony after calling the game for ESPN.
The team also showed congratulatory video messages from the likes of Durant, who received an ovation from the fans on hand when his message appeared on the big screen; Clippers All-Star James Harden; Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra; former Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton; and fellow Arizona standouts such as Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.
“I had the opportunity to kind of help those guys as they were younger coming into their own,” Iguodala said about the Warriors when he joined them. “But then also, it’s rare, I think, in professional sports to see a guy that’s kinda still in his prime and kinda take a back seat or actually willingly move out the way for the up-and-coming guys. Steph, it wasn’t that hard to move out the way. Klay too, Draymond too, so it was just a great, unique situation. It’s actually funny that you start to celebrate it while it’s kinda still going on. Those guys are still on the court, still playing very well.
“It worked out perfectly with Klay being able to be here. … I don’t know if you’re ever really able to appreciate what you’ve done because you’re still in it, and my life right now is like I’m still in it, it’s even more busy, so hopefully get a chance to properly reflect, but just that competitive nature and spirit. You never really get a chance to appreciate your accomplishments.”
Source: espn.com