The Warriors are retiring Andre Iguodala‘s No. 9 jersey, according to a team press release. Golden State will hold the ceremony following its afternoon game against the Mavericks on Feb. 23.
Iguodala will be the seventh Warrior to have his jersey retired, joining Alvin Attles (No. 16), Rick Barry (24), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Tom Meschery (14), Chris Mullin (17) and Nate Thurmond (42).
Iguodala was a member of Golden State’s four championship teams in this century and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 NBA Finals. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest in that six-game series against Cleveland.
The defensive ace made 452 career regular season appearances (84 starts) with the Warriors, averaging 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.0 minutes per game over eight seasons (2013-19, 2021-23). Iguodala appeared in 111 playoff games (40 starts) with Golden State, averaging 8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG in 28.5 MPG.
Iguodala was 30 years old and entering his 10th season when he joined the Warriors as a free agent.
“I never had been outside the second round,” Iguodala told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Neither had the Warriors since the ’70s. We were fresh off that ‘not one, not two, not three’ quote (from LeBron James when he joined Miami). So you’re careful with how you’re speaking towards it. I didn’t know because I’d never been there. It was just, I don’t know, intuition. But I didn’t think it would be four. I didn’t think it would be jersey retirements.”
Iguodala praised Stephen Curry for allowing him to reach those heights.
“I can properly assess my career, so I don’t need validation,” Iguodala said. “But I’m taking this one: I think I was the first one to realize how I can extend my career playing with Steph Curry … I hate making headlines. Don’t take it out of (context). Kevin Durant is the most talented basketball player I’ve ever seen. I’m including Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the best, but I’m talking about talent. Nobody’s better than Kevin Durant. But without Stephen Curry, nobody’s jersey is going in the rafters.”
As Slater points out, Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will assuredly have their numbers retired by the organization after they wrap up their playing careers. Iguodala officially retired after the 2022/23 season. He’s currently the executive director of the NBA Players Association.
Baron Davis Erasure
How has this organization not retired a jersey in 20 years
He played for the Warriors for 2.5 seasons. They didn’t have a ton of success. There are other players that are more deserving than Baron Davis.
They didn’t have much success between Nelson leaving and Kerr arriving. The 80s were really bad.
“How has this organization not retired a jersey in 20 years”
Probably because they were entirely trash from 1994-2012?
*except 2007, in before the asinine arguers come in to correct me lol
Also: Baron Davis was only active on GSW for like 2.5 seasons after all the games he missed over 4 years, he missed so much time, he didnt play enough games to warrant jersey retirement. 4 seasons is barely enough as-is.
They should retire Harrison Barnes jersey next, and also try to acquire him after they trade Wiggins.
This is an overreach.
How is it an overreach? He was a key club house leader that set a tone for their most successful run in the franchises 80 year history. Steph, Klay, and Draymond were pretty green when he came along. Stat sheets don’t tell you everything.
The stats aren’t there. He was a part of a title team but wasn’t ever the top 3 option on any of his teams outside his finals mvp that was a gifted more than earned award.
You obviously never watched the Warriors play.
I watched them play plenty the nba will have to use letters on jerseys in 100 years if teams start retiring Iguodala type of players numbers. He was a useful bench player that got 4 rings and the 4 rings are tougher to get without him, but they’d still have gotten 2 or 3 without him on the roster even. He was the 4th best player on all of those title teams best case and had a great finals series.
His 76ers stats are better than his Warriors but being a bench player with rings is retirement worthy I guess.
He was more than a bench player. Stats don’t tell you what a player means to the success of a team.
Without Iggy, the Warriors don’t win any rings. His leadership made them winners. Why is it so difficult for you to understand that.
Your delusional thinking Curry, Klay, Draymond and later with KD couldn’t get a title without Iggy. He helped get 4 and got retired, but he didn’t win all 4 himself and the team could’ve won at least 1 without him cause they were that good.
So, you are saying the Warriors are delusional about what made them successful? I guess you never heard of “Strength in Numbers”. That is what put them over the top.
Good for him, key contributor for 4 titles, NBA Finals MVP, played thru injury and pain for them and was a locker room leader. I don’t have any problem with it. Hell my team will probably retire Kirk Hinrich’s jersey any moment soon so anything is possible these days.
Add multiple All-Defensive and All-Star.
@davey, That’s a fair point that achievements earned in another uniform don’t count for as much.
How about this:
8 seasons played for GSW
6 trips to Championship Finals
4 Championships
@aristotle he wasn’t those on the Warriors though. He was only 1x DPOY and 4x 6MOY vote-getter on GSW. I don’t have a problem with it, even though he didn’t deserve the FMVP that truly belonged to Steph for having more mins, points, assists and steals than Iggy. If this works as a cumulative career jersey retirement, its fine. I agree with other commenter someone at the top probably went “oh damn we should probably retire a jersey soon”
How is KD better but “no ones jersey going to the rafters without Steph”? Basketball is a team game so the player that elevates their team the most is the best
Well, that will be the highlight of their season after they don’t make the playoffs
Agreed, Bob
This feels like a team success award. Iggy didn’t deserve that finals MVP, everybody knows this. Who does Tim Hardaway have to sleep with?
How many titles did the Warriors win when Hardaway played?
Well done. He deserves it …..
I know there are Sixers and Warriors fans on here….
Explain to us why he deserves this honor ..
Jeez…Are Sixers retiring his number? I don’t think the Nuggets or Grizzlies planning to either. Maybe it has something to do with basketball being a team game.
Seems over the top for 4 years of a bench player but whatever i guess.
You obviously never watched the Warriors.
We all loved Hardaway, but GSW won 1 playoff series his 5.5 years here.
Some fun times, but it was mostly losing. The standard for jersey in the rafters is winning.
This one is deserved unlike some recent ones….. Cough Vince
Al (not Allen Iverson) was finals MVP in the first Warriors championship. That is a important award to me (Iverson tried though)
Are all y’all too young to remember Iggy going to GS? There’s a lot more context that none of you seem to know or understand.