Original title: What’s the meaning of going to Iguodala to return to the Warriors with Golden State?
Today, Andre Iguodala officially announced in his podcast that he will be renewing his contract with the Golden State Warriors for a year. Also, by next summer, “One Brother” is determined to retire and end his 19-year basketball career.
Unlike the Big Three of the Warriors – Curry, Klay and Dream Chaser, Iguodala is not a player selected by Golden State and gradually cultivated. Before joining the Warriors at the age of 30, “One Brother” played for the 76ers and the Nuggets. During this time, he was selected in the All-Star team and won the gold medal at the London Olympics with the United States men’s basketball team. But in the NBA arena, “One Brother” didn’t perform well.
It was time for 2013, when Iguodala played for the Nuggets and the Warriors in the playoffs in a classic “track and field team vs shooting team” confrontation. In that round, the Nuggets went 2-4 underdogs, but Denver’s “first brother” was convinced by the Warriors’ fluid attacking system. It was also in that round of the series that “One Brother” created the famous undercover incident: he refused to implement the defensive strategy of then Nuggets manager George Karl against Curry and avoided an injury to Curry. He even reminded Curry to watch out for other people’s evil defenses in the game … All of this done by Iguodala also laid the groundwork for him to join the Warriors in the future.
In the summer of 2013, Iguodala joined the Warriors on a $ 48 million four-year deal, at the time his approach was considered a flaw by many Nuggets fans. But subsequent events showed what a clever decision Iguodala made. Since the second season he joined the Warriors, “One Brother” has accepted a new role on the team and become the backup of the Warriors. It was also in that year that the sacrifice of the “first brother” and the maturity of the three giants of warriors opened the prelude to the Golden State Dynasty.
A surprising fact, since Iguodala joined the Warriors, he has never averaged more than 10 points per game in a season. But people won’t forget the Warriors championship in 2015, how important the “first brother” was. In the final, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. On the offensive side, the first brother’s three-point shooting rate reached 40%; on the defensive side, he also caused James big trouble. It was still in that final, when the Warriors left the center and brought their “first brother” into the decisive line-up, for the first time the power of the so-called “Five Little Deaths” could be appreciated.
That year’s finals were also a series of matches that marked Iguodala’s historic status. On the night the Warriors won the championship, “Brother One” unexpectedly beat Curry to win the Finals MVP, becoming the first Finals MVP in history to serve as a regular season replacement. While there is still a lot of controversy surrounding this award, it has also become the highlight of “One Brother’s entire basketball career”.
Of course, in addition to FMVP’s unexpected joy, Iguodala has also enjoyed quite a bit of championship glory during his time with the Warriors. He loves this team and he likes the feeling of playing life here. By relying on the advantages of the Warriors supporting Silicon Valley, he also became a successful investor outside the basketball court, and when he returned to the court, he became increasingly ignorant of his role and was willing to make any sacrifices. for the team that could not be reflected in the statistics.
In 2019, Iguodala briefly left the Warriors due to trade and Durant’s departure. But then, in both the Grizzlies and the Heat, he couldn’t recover the euphoria he had with the Warriors. He has also offended players, coaches, fans and the Grizzlies leadership because he did not want to play in the young Grizzlies.
After several twists and turns, Iguodala finally returned to the Warriors in the summer of 2021 and just a year later he won the fourth league ring of his career with the team. But “One Brother” didn’t win enough. He has now signed a new contract with the Warriors, which is also the last contract of his career. Obviously he hopes to end his basketball journey with a more perfect ending.
Iguodala, who was born in 1984, is about to celebrate his 39th birthday in January next year and frankly, in actual combat, he hasn’t been able to give the Warriors much help. However, the “One Brother” status in the locker room will not be weakened by his aging. On the long journey to defend the title, the Warriors need this spiritual leader to rise from time to time and inspire the team’s fighting spirit with heartwarming speeches.
When the young people of the team encounter psychological and physical difficulties, the “first brother” is also the ideal mentor to help them. Although the identity of the “first brother” is still a player, during the season his role may be more similar to that of assistant manager Steve Kerr. It was the inspiration of him and his coach that unleashed the potential of Wiggins and Jordan Poole last season. And in the future, he will also be able to provide similar help to young Wiseman, Cuminga and even younger rookies.
Finally, the return of Iguodala once again interprets the value of “loyalty”. On the one hand he is loyal to the Warriors and is willing to give the last strength of his career to the Warriors, on the other hand, this summer, the Warriors have been waiting for Iguodala, so they have given up many good opportunities to sign and strengthen, he has also refused other veterans such as Carmelo Antonio for work. This two-way loyalty is undoubtedly a strong glue for the new season of the Warriors, and can also serve as a great example for the decisions of some young players in the future … (Poirot)Back to Sohu, see more
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