Warriors coach Steve Kerr gave franchise icon Andre Iguodala his flowers Tuesday after Golden State announced his No. 9 jersey will be hung in the Chase Center rafters on Feb. 23.
Kerr, who coached Iguodala for seven of his eight Warriors seasons, explained to reporters how the one-time NBA All-Star played a vital-yet-lowkey role in Golden State’s dynasty.
“Andre, in my mind, was the unsung hero of that whole era,” Kerr said. “Everyone knows about [Steph Curry] and [Klay Thompson] and Kevin Durant and [Draymond Green]. Andre was a guy who sort of tied it all in together. Brilliant, brilliant two-way basketball player [and] a brilliant basketball mind.
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“[He] unlocked so much of the stuff that we did at both ends of the floor because of his intellect and his athleticism. And he was really fun to coach.”
Iguodala truly was the Warriors’ Swiss Army Knife over their four championship runs.
As his 2015 NBA Finals MVP proved, Iguodala could powerfully defend anyone from LeBron James to Matthew Dellavedova. Kerr’s comments also touched on Iguodala’s seamless offensive fit among the team’s stars, and how the retired wing helped the Warriors' iconic sharpshooting scheme run smoothly.
But it was Iguodala’s four top-10 finishes for Sixth Man of the Year, in particular, that encapsulated his Golden State tenure and overall impact in Kerr’s eyes. Iguodala’s unselfishness gave opposing defenses -- who already had their plates full with Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green -- no opportunities for rest.
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“I thought Andre was a guy who set the tone here his first year by being willing to come off the bench,” Kerr said. “He set a tone of unselfishness, and that helped us win that first title, and, of course, he won finals MVP, which was the perfect ending to that season.”
As Kerr said, Iguodala was Golden State’s “unsung hero.” He averaged 6.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds over 452 Warriors games and never was an NBA All-Star with the franchise, but the team’s results spoke much louder.
Iguodala, too, was phenomenal within the margins and was a beloved locker room presence. Between making his teammates laugh, making the right reads and being a celebrated businessman, Iguodala’s well-roundedness as a player and person will forever be cherished by his old coach.
“Total wise-ass, complete wise-ass, he made me laugh every day. [I] love Andre,” Kerr said.
Kerr, 59, has lived a total basketball life. He played teammate to greats like Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, and he has coached others like Curry and Durant on the Warriors and Team USA. But with all that said, Iguodala stands out to Kerr. Role players, personalities and intellectuals of Iguodala’s caliber don’t just grow on trees.