Four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala has officially announced his retirement earlier this morning.
Announcing his retirement from the league after 19 season averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 1,231 games, Iguodala told ESPN that he turned down the interest from his old team the Golden State Warriors and many others before he landed on the decision to do so. He said on the phone, “It’s just the right time.Time started to get limited for me, and I didn’t want to put anything in the back seat. I didn’t want to have to try to delegate time anymore. Especially with on the court, off the court with family. A lot.” He added, “You want to play at a high level. But then family is a lot. My son is 16 and then two girls. So [I’m] looking forward to seeing them grow up in those important years.”
Iguodala was the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft at 6-foot-6. The defensive-minded forward was a two-time All-NBA defensive team selection and was also a 2012 London Games gold medalist. He has played for the 76ers, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. In 2019, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he planned to retire Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey when the tome comes. Lacob said in a statement, “Andre Iguodala was a huge part of four NBA championship teams with the Warriors and will forever be remembered for his many contributions to our franchise, both on and off the court. His team-first approach, which we witnessed immediately upon his arrival in Golden State, helped set the tone for much of our success, as did the impact he had on the defensive end of the floor. We look forward to raising #9 to the rafters in Chase Center at some point in the future, and we wish him well in what will assuredly be a very successful post-playing career venture into the business world.”
Iguodala said on his success with the Warriors, “We won four championships; that’s kind of unheard of. There are only a handful to teams that can say that. You got the Bulls, the Lakers, Celtics, us, and that’s it. No organization has been run like this. And I think it’s a testament to us believing in each other, playing the right way. The game was played beautifully and had perfect timing for me right there in my prime. And things just happen the way they were supposed to happen when they happened, and it makes you actually strengthen your faith. You just give it all the way up to someone else to say, ‘Let me play to my maximum ability based on the work that I put in and the focus that what I have put into the game has paid off.’”
In other sports news, Nike is now selling strength gym equipment.
