"Veterans do not die, they only gradually wither." In Game 6 of last season's NBA Finals, Kerr replaced Wiggins with Iguodala, a scene that moved countless fans.
The first crown is you, and this crown is still you. Some say that the Splash Brothers and Dream Green are an integral part of the Golden State dynasty
But the Golden State veteran is equally important, focusing on defense on the bench, encouraging teammates in the locker room, swatting off opponents' balls with iron palms, stealing fast-attack one-handed dunks, putting the ball in in a very weird posture, calmly directing the position and organization, making two consecutive free throws, and throwing a crucial goal in the decisive moment.
He is Andre Iguodala, a player who will give fans peace of mind when he comes on the pitch.
Hey! Hello everyone! I'm a quarterback, and today I'm going to take you into the story of Iguodala, the second elder.
Born on January 12, 1984 in Illinois, USA, Iguodala showed athletic talent far beyond his peers in his childhood, and his brother's cultural class achievements were also excellent.
He began to develop as he entered high school. Tall. At the same time, relying on his solid dribbling and excellent ball intelligence, he was successfully selected for the basketball team as a point guard.
The selfless brother is loyal to the organization and passing, sometimes until the coach says to him: "Andre, we need your scoring ability." That's when he chooses to cut in and score.
In his junior year of high school, Iguodala averaged a luxurious record of 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, and led the team to the state championship, not only successfully named to the All-American Team, but also voted Illinois Basketball Mr. and was invited to participate in the National High School Classic.
He grew up and shone. It began to slowly enter the field of vision of the majority of fans. In addition to his excellent ball skills, Iguodala's biggest feature is his fearless mentality.
No matter who the opponent is, he will give his best to win the game, he enjoys the challenge and faces every game with confidence. After graduating from high school, Iguodala chose to join the University of Arizona after some twists and turns.
Luke Wharton, the core player on the team at that time and the assistant coach of the future Warriors, would often give some guidance to the freshman, telling Iguodala: "You will be the best player in school history!" ”
Sure enough, Wharton's words, as a freshman brother, his statistics can rank in the top five of the team and he was selected for the best rookie team in the Pacific Ten League.
In his sophomore year, he played in 30 games, averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, as if he had grown into a top all-around player in the NCAA, but at this time, something happened that Iguodala did not expect.
"He's doing so well, we don't want to let him go!" In order to keep a brother, his alma mater deliberately belittled him.
Iguodala said in his autobiography that when he was a sophomore, he walked on campus and met his classmates and said, "Andre, can you stay in Arizona and don't skip a grade to go to the NBA!" In order to keep him, the coach even declared to the outside world that he was not good enough. It will also make a fuss through the media to reduce the NBA team's interest in Yi Ge.
This also made Iguodala feel that he was not like himself, he was more like living for others, and in such a confused situation, Ichigo also found that college education and training could not bring any substantial help to his basketball path, and even hindered his development.
So in this case, Brother Yi resolutely chose to participate in the NBA draft. In the 2004 draft, Iguodala was selected by the 76ers with the ninth pick in the first round, and due to his excellent performance in preseason camp, the coaching staff also decided to promote the first-year rookie to play as a starter.
In his 82 rookie seasons, he started the team, averaging 9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was selected as the Rookie of the Year.
And the old birds in the team also took great care of this rookie who entered the league, taught Ichigo the skills of defending top small forwards, and showed him a lot of game videos to gain defensive experience, which focused on analyzing the offensive footsteps against Pierce.
And there is no doubt that Iverson is the best learning object and mentor for Yi Ge. Ichigo once explained his relationship with the answer, "Allen would swear and scribble on the plane, then take me to dinner, and then play and score 50 points!" ”
Iguodala, known as Big and Small AI, averaged 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 50% shooting per game, and shined on this year's All-Star weekend.
First won the MVP in the Rookie Challenge, and then brought a creative violence and aesthetic dunk in the dunk contest, bringing a visual feast to people, but the champion gave the little potato who conceded four goals in a row, and this dunk contest also caused a lot of controversy in the future.
Not to deny Little Potato's performance, but because Iguodala really deserves a championship. In the next brother, he was diligent and diligent, playing an average of 40 minutes per game.
"He has the fitness of James, he has every chance to be the next LeBron, but he doesn't put scoring first." Iverson said of Iguodala.
After the answer was traded to the Nuggets, the brother who became the boss of the team had to take on more responsibility, and he did his best on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. Sitting in the gym when he's not playing, he desperately wants to get stronger.
Although his personal data has become more versatile and good-looking, Ichigo does not like to do such a role, he believes that he is more suitable to be an assistant than the main output point, but the team has lost consecutive games in the first round of the playoffs.
With four coaches in three years, the team is getting worse, Philadelphia fans are booing louder, and Iguodala is also seen as not contributing money, and he is under unprecedented pressure.
Although he was selected as an All-Star, his enthusiasm for basketball began to wane, scoring less, his desire to shoot less, and he gave the ball to more young people, focusing on organization and defense.
During this period, he also learned a lot of things outside of basketball from his teammates, and his brother also began to pay attention to these things that he had never understood, and he found from some successful black people such as Michael Jordan that they can not only make money but also change society, which also makes a person know that he is also capable of doing this, and also gives him a new understanding of his financial planning.
In the summer of 2012, Iguodala represented the United States at the London Olympics, this dream team has Kobe, James, Durant and Anthony, you must know that the dream team is not lacking in scorers, and Ichigo has also found what he does best, that is, defense.
The coach also gave a high praise to Ichigo, he is one of the most suitable players for the national team, he has excellent physical fitness, can defend and make up positions, he will cut in but not force the shot, and the United States finally beat Spain and won the championship.
However, two days before the finals, Yi Ge was traded to the Nuggets without warning, and the team's operation made him very disappointed. Looking back on his eight years in Philadelphia, he played full time in five seasons, averaging 40 minutes per game, but rarely missed games due to injury. Ichigo said: "Leaving a stressful environment finally gave me a chance to breathe, and this experience will also benefit me a lot. ”
Although the ending was not very pleasant, he was grateful for the growth that his time in Philadelphia brought him. The Nuggets' brother played in 80 games, averaging 13 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while the team recorded a team-breaking 57 wins and made the playoffs.
But unfortunately, he was eliminated by Curry's Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, and George Carr, who had just won the Coach of the Year, was fired.
Brother Yi decided to find the joy of playing, looking at the very united warriors opposite, the fans fully supported the passionate stadium, the sunny environment near Silicon Valley, maybe a good place to go.
"Why did Durant join the team that defeated him and was said to be a throwing enemy, but no one said that he was a throwing enemy when he joined the Warriors."
"Brother Yi is a supporting character who has won the script of the protagonist." But Ichigo never had the life of the protagonist. Although he led the team to the playoffs, he never broke through the first round.
So in 2013, the first brother who was in the Nuggets for a season chose to jump out of the contract to sign and then trade, joining the Warriors who eliminated him last season, and Bishop Mark Jackson was the reason why he chose to join.
Because he found that the Warriors players were playing with confidence, and the coach would let them play freely, he also found that the Warriors locker room had a harmonious atmosphere, regardless of the price, everyone was on an equal footing.
What touched him the most was the Oracle fans, who always gave encouragement and support to the players. Even in the regular season, the shouts of support are almost the same as in the Finals, and this atmosphere has made Ichigo regain his passion for basketball.
And when the Warriors coach changed to Kerr, Kerr said to Ichigo: "We're great now, with a few changes, we can be the best team in the league, I'm going to put you in the right position and help me find the team's weaknesses." ”
Cole's request for a brother to be the team's sixth man was to improve bench depth on the one hand, and to build Barnes' confidence on the other. Although Ichigo had some resistance in his heart, he could also understand Kerr's intentions, so Brother, who had never served as a substitute, made a change after coming to the Warriors.
Ichigo also quickly adapted to his new identity, the same defense, the same promotion, the same organization, the same passing, he is still an important figure in the team.
In the 14-15 season, the Warriors played a 64-15 record, all the way to the Finals, against the Cavaliers with James, and the Warriors trailed 1-2 after three games.
In the fourth scene, Cole boldly changed his formation, posing as the Splash Brothers, Barnes, Chasing Dreams and One Brother, and the original Death Five Xiao officially appeared since then. In this lineup, Ichigo plays as a power forward, so the burden of defending James alone falls on Brother.
It was the biggest challenge of a career, and James was taller than he was. Brother Yi recalled that during his time in Philadelphia, his seniors taught him the skills of defending top small forwards, as well as his own long-term defensive experience, plus the analysis of videotapes, he analyzed James's offensive pattern and formulated a set of defensive strategies.
He can predict James's footsteps, predict in advance to break with an iron palm, and the defense of James by a brother has also become a turning point in the game. James shot 44 percent from the field against other defenses, compared to 38.1 percent against a brother defense.
At the same time, the five small lineups also accelerated the pace of offense, which is also the Warriors' best offensive method, and in the end, the Warriors won the championship 4:2 in three consecutive cities.
With an average of 16.3 points, 4 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, Yi Ge won the FMVP, becoming the first FMVP in history to be fully substituted for the regular season, and the Warriors knew he fully deserved this honor.
"One of the important chips that the Warriors were able to sign Durant on a cheap contract of 2 years and 54.3 million was that he would get investment advice from Iguodala."
Fast forward to the 2015-16 season, assistant coach Wharton strategized, the Warriors played a 24-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, they were like a rainbow, but the first brother vaguely felt that something was wrong.
First, the media began to compare the Warriors with the 72-win Bulls, and the entire team began to chase the regular season record, and because of the arrogance, the rest of the league as long as they met the Warriors, they treated the game as if it were the Finals, and it didn't matter if the players were behind, anyway, the third quarter was taken away by a wave.
This caused the main team to overwork, all played with injuries, did not achieve a combination of work and rest, and although they eventually won a record-breaking 73 wins, what happened afterwards seemed to make this 73 wins the biggest joke.
In the playoffs, the Warriors easily tackled the Rockets and Blazers to defeat the Thunder in the Western Conference finals to reach the Finals, but were defeated 1-3 by the Cavaliers in the Finals and lost the opportunity to defend their title.
During this disappointing offseason, Ichigo received a text message: "Hey, do you want to be teammates with Kevin Durant?" So Brother, Curry, Thompson and Green went to KD's house to lobby him to join.
Brother Yi is very experienced in joining the matter if he can't win, he understands very well what KD wants, and he is worried about being attacked by fans.
As a passer-by, Brother Yi seriously said to KD: "Following your inner voice is the most important thing, for the feelings of others, stay on the team you don't like, but you're not happy is it worth it, or join the team you want and enjoy the joy of playing, although there will be many strangers who hate your decision, so what?" ”
Ichigo also carefully answered all of KD's questions, letting him know how happy it was to play in Golden State, and eventually KD successfully joined the Warriors.
After the ups and downs of the beginning of the season, the Warriors finally played a 67-15 record in the 16-17 season, swept their opponents in the West to reach the Finals, and finally avenged the Cavaliers 4-1.
This season, Brother Yi played 76 games, but averaged a career-low 26.3 minutes per game, because of knee injuries plaguing him, sometimes he even felt that his feet were running a thousand pounds, and before he knew it, Brother Yi was also 33 years old.
In the summer of 2017, he became a free agent, twice rejected the Warriors' offer, and met with the Lakers, Spurs, and Kings, and finally forced the Warriors to raise their chips to 3 years and 48 million before agreeing to stay in Golden State.
We can also see that Ichigo's emphasis on money is found that the career of an athlete is short and insecure, and even if he earns a lot as a player, it is difficult to find a new purpose in life after retiring. He has seen many cases of players going bankrupt after retirement, so Brother Yi planned for the future early.
Whenever he saw a business tycoon sitting next to the Oracle court, he wondered how basketball players could use business to influence the world.
After joining the Warriors, he had the opportunity to get close to Silicon Valley and see the wealth of Google, Apple and other companies, and he also wanted to be a part of it. In the past, NBA players mostly invested in the music and restaurant industries, but Yi Ge expanded his horizons, targeting technology, e-commerce and fashion, investing in a total of 15 start-ups with outstanding results, allowing him to make a fortune.
He discusses with business partners what future trends are, analyzes and invests, and always expands his expertise in relevant areas. Curry once said, "Hey! Andre's topic in the locker room is always about business. ”
He also led his teammates to invest in different industries together, and at the same time, Ichigo was eager to learn, in addition to consulting with the business tycoons on the sidelines, he also asked the Warriors owner about the concept of venture capital.
"Brother before coming, you can't win the championship, brother comes, win three consecutive championships, brother is gone, you didn't make the playoffs, brother is back, win the championship again!" This is the famous one-brother formula.
In 2017-18, Iguodala completed his 1,000th career game and the Warriors entered the playoffs in second place in the West. In the Western Conference final, he fought 7 games with the Rockets, and Ichigo missed 4 games due to injury, otherwise he would have more effectively limited the boarding combination.
Because in the first three games, he defended two people for 41 rounds, only allowing them to hit one goal, and finally the Warriors swept his old rival James 4-0 in the Finals, and after winning his third career title, Ichigo now just wants to stay away from basketball. He just wants to travel with his family, and after a full break from the break, he can't wait to play.
But in the 18-18 season, after only 30 games, he found himself tired, he slowly discovered his aging, and finally the Warriors lost 2-4 to the Raptors in the Finals, missing out on a three-game winning streak.
In the summer of '19 at Free Market, the Warriors traded a brother to Memphis in order to sign Russell from the Nets first.
In the Warriors' 6 years, Yi Ge averaged 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game, but his contribution to the team is simply not reflected in terms of data alone, top individual defensive ability, accurate prediction of steals, rapid offensive and defensive conversion, stable control and rhythm mastery.
But after coming to the Grizzlies, the first brother refused to play, and then played dead in the Heat, and after returning to the Warriors, the first brother almost didn't let the Heat call the police and win another championship, he is an indispensable figure for the Warriors to win 4 championships in 8 years.
Looking back on his 18-year career, from trying to learn from his predecessors to taking care of his young brother, he faces every game with professionalism.
He will come off the bench to concentrate on defense, cheer teammates in the locker room, ruthlessly cut off opponents' balls, steal fast-attack one-handed dunks, put the ball in strange positions, calmly command positions and organization, and throw the decisive goal at key moments.
Such a selfless willing to sacrifice, a well-rounded self-demanding player, dancing funny with a rich facial expression. You, how can you not like him?
All right! This is the end of Iguodala's story. I'm a quarterback, follow me, and continue to bring more basketball stories to everyone.