Four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala is retiring after 19 seasons

The 2015 NBA Finals MVP told Andscape on Friday morning that he is retiring from the NBA. In 19 seasons, Iguodala averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 1,231 games. The 2012 All-Star said he rejected interest from the Warriors and several other teams before deciding to retire.

“This is the right time,” Iguodala, 39, told Andscape in a phone interview. “Time was starting to get limited for me, and I didn’t want to put anything on the back seat. I didn’t want to try to delegate time anymore. Especially on the field, or off the field with the family. A lot.

“You want to play at a high level. But there is a lot of family. My son is 16 and has two girls. So [I’m] “I look forward to watching them grow into those important years.”

The former Arizona star was the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder made his only All-Star appearance with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012 and averaged 19.9 points per game with franchise during the 2007-08 season.

The defensive-minded forward was twice named to the All-NBA Defensive Team, making the first team in 2013-14. Iguodala was also a gold medalist at the 2012 London Games and a 2010 world champion with USA Basketball. He ranks 39th in NBA history in total games played.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green, who played with Iguodala with the 76ers and coached him with Golden State, expressed his respect.

“He’s always been a mature young man, and I’m proud to see what he’s done in his career on the floor,” Green told Andscape. “Olympic gold medalist, four-time NBA champion, but I’m proud of him even because he was off the floor, [a] Devoted husband and father. [There are] A lot of the friends he has are in NBA circles. But even young men, he would take them and teach them how to become professionals.

“…He was one of the best and most versatile players ever, he could play any position and he could guard any position. He really worked on improving his game because he wanted to be the best he could be. That’s why.” “He ended up in Golden State and is one of the pillars of this team that won championships and became a dynasty. You have a guy like Andre on your team and he changes things.”

Iguodala played for the 76ers, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat. His biggest impact was with the Warriors.

In July 2013, Iguodala turned down a five-year contract with the Nuggets to join the Warriors through a sign-and-trade on a four-year, $48 million contract. This proved to be the best move of his career. He won the NBA championship with the team in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. After moving to Miami, Iguodala played the final two seasons of his career with the Warriors and played in eight games last season.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in 2019 that he planned to have Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey retired after his retirement.

“We won four championships, which is unheard of,” Iguodala said. “There are only a few teams that can say that. We have the Bulls, the Lakers, the Celtics, and that’s it. No organization has ever been run that way. I think that’s a testament to the belief we have in each other.” “Playing the right way. The game was played beautifully and the timing was perfect for me at my best. Things happen the way they were supposed to happen when they happened, and that makes you strengthen your faith. You just have to give it access to someone else to say, ‘Let me “I play to the best of my ability based on the work I put in and the focus I put into the game.”

The highlight of Iguodala’s NBA career occurred during the 2015 Finals, when he was named MVP for his defense of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. James shot 38.1% from the field in those Finals when Iguodala was guarding him, compared to 44% when he was guarded by other defenders. Iguodala also averaged 16.3 points, 4.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds in the six-game series.

“That was great,” Iguodala said. “It was funny. [Then-Warriors GM] It was Bob Myers who gave me the news. That was one of those moments you’ll never forget. I remember every moment it happened. But it’s always safe to say that if you go out and do your job and what you’re supposed to do, things will happen the way they’re supposed to happen. You just have to have faith that things will work out positively as long as you have that faith.

“You see a lot in sports like guys going out, making sure they get what they want, and that sometimes gets in the way of the team’s success. That happens all the time.”

Iguodala also made an impact on his NBA brethren by serving on the National Basketball Players Association’s executive committee from 2015 to 2023. Former NBA president Chris Paul credited Iguodala, who last served as senior vice president , to help him navigate the challenges of the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.