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 (#16), Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#16), 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.