Foreword: This article mainly reviews the key points of Iguodala's career, just to better understand Iguodala and understand the Warriors. The full text is about 6151 words and is expected to be read in 16 minutes.
Andre Taylor Iguodala, nicknamed "Little AI" and "Iggy", is an American professional basketball player who plays as a small forward or shooting guard, currently playing for the NBA Golden State Warriors.
He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the ninth overall pick in the first round in the 2004 NBA Draft. In the 2014-15 season, he won the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors and was elected MVP of the NBA Finals.
In 2010 and 2012, he won the men's basketball championship with the United States at the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Games.
Early life and high school career
Iguodala was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Linda Shanklin. Brother Frank played at Lakeland College in Marton and Dayton, Illinois, where his mother was African-American and his father was Nigerian. Growing up, Iguodala was rooted in the Chicago Bulls, and he saw Michael Jordan as a player he admired.
Iguodala attended high school at Lanfield High School in Springfield, Illinois, which produced other notable athletes, including Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and basketball guard Kevin Gamble. At Ränfeld, he excelled in both academics and athletics. He has won academic honors at all conferences, been inducted into the National Honor Roll, been selected multiple times as a Student Athlete of the National Journals Week, and won three high jump awards.
In 2002, Iguodala led Rumfer's basketball team to runners-up in the Illinois High School Association AA State Championship. That season, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, as well as the National Parade Second Team and Nike All-American Player. Iguodala was also a finalist for the Illinois Basketball Sir Award, which was awarded to Dee Brown. His Lanffer jersey is now retired.
In the summer of 2000, Iguodala's winning shot at the final whistle helped the team win the national title of 17 years old and younger, and was named the AAU National Championship Most Valuable Player, which attracted the attention of national coaches.
In 2002, he competed in the Jordan Brand Classic in Washington, D.C. In the 22nd minute of the game, Iguodala had six points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block on 6-of-3 shooting. Iguodala played AAU basketball under Larry Butler and the Illinois Warriors, a team featuring other professional players such as Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson and Jon Schell. Iguodala was named a four-star recruit by Scout.com and was ranked as the nation's 6th small forward and 26th player in 2002.
College Life
Iguodala initially signed a national letter of intent to play in Arkansas. He has narrowed down his list of schools he wants to two: Kansas or Arkansas. Iguodala was drawn to Arkansas' 1-3 system, which allowed Iguodala to run the points occasionally. Iguodala visited the Arkansas campus, and when he visited with his parents, they were impressed by their large stadium and the number of fans in training.
However, after their coach Nolan Richardson was fired that year (2002), Iguodala decided to move to the University of Arizona. In Arizona, he joined future NBA players Channing Frye, Luke Walton, Mustafa Shakur, Salim Stoudemyer and Hassan Adams.
One of the decisive factors in Iguodala was the promise of Hassan Adams, with whom Iguodala had competed in the Jordan Brand Classic in high school. Many colleges consider Iguodala a track and field star turned basketball player, but teammate Luke Walton said, "When he finishes his job here, he's going to be one of the best players in Arizona."
In the 2002–03 season, he was selected for the Pac-10 freshman team. During his freshman year, he quickly established himself as one of the team's best all-around players, ranking in the team's top 5 in almost every major category. As a sophomore in the 2003–04 season, Iguodala was named team MVP after leading the team in rebounds, assists and steals.
He was also named to the All-Pac-10 team and was named The Nation's Best Honor By the Associated Press. He scored three triple-doubles that season, joining Jason Kidd as the only two players in Pac-10 history to have played two or more triple-doubles in a season. During their Career in Arizona, the Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament for both seasons.
During his freshman year, the Wildcats were beaten by Kansas in the elite quarterfinals. In his sophomore year, Arizona was defeated by Seton Hall in the first round. After scoring 594 points (9.6 points), 409 rebounds (6.6 rebounds) and 95 steals (1.53 steals) in 62 career games (34 starts), he chose to run in the NBA Draft. In Arizona, Iguodala plans to major in education.
At the end of the season, Iguodala signed with agent Rob Pelinka, who has represented NBA All-Stars such as Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Gerald Wallace, who is the co-founder of Landmark Sports Agency.
University statistics
NBA career
Philadelphia 76ers (2004-2012)
In the 2004 NBA Draft, Andre Iguodala was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the ninth overall pick in the first round. Formed a "dual AI connection" with Alan Iverson.
On May 6, 2005, the NBA announced the 2004–05 Rookie Team of the Year, and André Iguodala was named to the All-Rookie First Team.
On January 22, 2006, in an away game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Iguodala hit a whistle ball to help the team win 86-84.
On February 18, 2006, in the NBA Star Weekend Rookie Challenge, the sophomores defeated the rookie team 106-96, and Andre Iguodala scored a game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, winning the NBA Rookie Challenge's Most Valuable Player.
On December 20, 2006, Alan Iverson left the 76ers and Andre Iguodala officially became the team's leader.
On December 22, 2007, during an away game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Iguodala hit a whistle-blowing ball to help the team win 99-97.
On March 17, 2009, in an away game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Iguodala hit a final three-pointer to help the team win 94-93.
On April 19, 2009, in the first game of the first round of the 2009 playoffs, Andre Iguodala hit a jumper 2.2 seconds before the final game to help the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Orlando Magic 100-98 on the road to seize home advantage.
On May 10, 2011, the NBA officially announced the 2010–11 regular season defensive team, and André Iguodala was named to the best defensive team second team.
On February 10, 2012, the NBA officially announced the bench list for the 2012 Star Game, and Andre Iguodala was named to the Eastern Conference Bench, the first time in his career to be an All-Star.
On May 11, 2012, in the key battle between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, Andre Iguodala made two free throws in 2.2 seconds before the final game, and scored 20 points and seven assists, helping the team eliminate the opponent by an aggregate score of 4:2, creating the fifth "black eight miracle" in NBA history. However, he was eliminated after seven games against traditional powerhouse Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Denver Nuggets (2012-2013)
On August 11, 2012, Iguodala was sent to the Nuggets in a deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, and Philadelphia 76ers (players involved including Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum).
On January 24, 2013, in the Nuggets' game against the Houston Rockets, his career total score exceeded 10,000.
On April 5, 2013, Iguodala's winning 2.8-second shot before the final game helped the Nuggets narrowly beat the Dallas Mavericks. It was the first time he had made a winning shot in the fourth quarter or within 5 seconds of overtime for the Nuggets, and the fourth of his career.
On April 11, 2013, the Nuggets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 96-86 at home, and Iguodala had a triple-double of 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Nuggets record 21 consecutive home wins.
Although the Nuggets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, Iguodala was also locked up by many teams.
On June 29, 2013, Iguodala officially announced that he had jumped out of his final year contract and entered the free market.
Golden State Warriors (2013-2019)
On July 9, 2013, Iguodala signed a four-year, $48 million contract to the Warriors through a three-way deal (Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz) on a first-come,000-before-trade basis.
2013-14 season
On November 5, 2013, in the Warriors' 110-90 away win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala hit seven three-pointers, setting a new career record for the number of three-pointers in a single game.
On November 14, 2013, in the Warriors' home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Iguodala hit a final reversal whistle ball to help the Warriors win 116-115.
On January 3, 2014, in the Warriors' away game against the Atlanta Hawks, Iguodala hit another final reverse whistle three-pointer to help the Warriors win 101-100.
On June 3, 2014, the NBA officially announced the best defensive team for the 2013-14 season, and Iguodala was selected to the best defensive team first team.
2014-15 season
In 2014-15, warriors' new head coach Steve Kerr made a roster adjustment, with Harrison Barnes as the starting small forward, setting Iguodala as the sixth man, after he had started 806 regular season games.
On November 27, 2014, in the Warriors' away game against the Orlando Magic, Iguodala shot 3-of-4 three-pointers and hit 728 career three-pointers, surpassing the record for total three-pointers from coach Steve Cole's time as a player.
FMVP
The Warriors became Western Conference champions in the 2015 playoffs, with the Finals facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.
At the end of the first three games, the Warriors fell behind with one win and two defeats. Neither Sean Livingston nor Klay Thompson, nor even Draymond Green, the defensive ace, could overwhelm LeBron James. The Warriors coaching staff decided to adopt a thorough small-ball tactic, changing Iguodala, who was highly efficient after three games, to start in Game FOUR, replacing the less than expected starting center Andrew Bogut, and this is Iguodala's first starter this season.
In game four, Iguodala scored a single-game high of 22 points this season, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and including four three-pointers to help the Warriors draw 2. In the end, the Warriors successfully won the king, and Iguodala, who contributed the most, won the NBA Finals MVP, and became the first player in NBA history to win the Finals MVP without starting at all in the regular season, and also the first player in the Finals series who did not start every game, but finally won the Finals MVP.
Iguodala won the award because of the excellent performance on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, averaging 16.3 points, 4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in the entire series, while on the defensive end he was responsible for guarding the Cavaliers ace LBJ, although it did not mean that leBron James's firepower could be limited, but LeBron James's shooting rate when Iguodala was on the court was 38.1%, and when he was not on the court, it improved to 44%, which is enough to explain his defensive contribution.
2015-16 season
On November 12, 2015, the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-84 on the road, bringing Iguodala's career three-point shooting to 800.
In the championship game, Iguodala was unable to effectively clamp James as he did last year due to an old back injury.
2016-17 season
On November 28, 2016, Iguodala beat the Atlanta Hawks 105-100 to play the best performance of the season with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, helping the Warriors start 16-2 while achieving their 12th consecutive win, the third longest winning streak in history.
On Jan. 16, 2017, in a 126-91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, he came off the bench and shot a season-high in all five shots.
In February 2017, longtime agent Rob Pelinka was named the new general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers; Iguodala chose to stay at the Landmark Sports Bureau, with co-founder Brandon Rosenthal taking over as Iguodala's agent.
On March 6, 2017, the Warriors beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-111, and Iguodala set a season high with 24 points.
On March 13, 2017, after the Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10, he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for using racially uncontrolled language in an interview.
The Warriors ended the season with a 67-15 record as the first seed in the West.
After a 129-115 victory over the Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors made it to the NBA Finals Series for the third time in a row, while becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12-0.
The Warriors played against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals, with Iguodala serving as a key bench player in the 2017 NBA Finals, regularly defending James and scoring 20 points in game five, helping the Warriors beat the Cavaliers to win the championship in five games.
2017-18 season
Iguodala entered the 2017 offseason as a free agent and held meetings with numerous competing teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets.
However, on July 25, 2017, Iguodala renewed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Warriors. In a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 11, 2017, Iguodala played his 1,000th regular season game, becoming one of 126 players in NBA history to accomplish this feat.
Iguodala missed the last four games of the Western Conference Finals and the first two games of the Finals due to a left leg contusion, so he played in the third game of the 2018 NBA Finals. The Warriors swept the Cavaliers to win the championship for the third time in four years.
2018-19 season
Iguodala averaged a career-low 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the regular season. During the playoffs, he averaged 9.8 points per game, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while also starting most of the game.
To show respect for opponents, and more urgently, Kerr removed Iguodala from the bench and started the Hampton penthouse lineup for the first time this season, kicking off the semifinals against Houston.
After nine consecutive games began, he missed a decisive fourth game in the division final against Portland after injuring his left calf in the third.
The Warriors returned to the Finals for the fifth straight season, but lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games. In Game 6 of the Series, which ended 114-110, Iguodala scored 22 points, making it his playoff best scoring output. However, Thompson left the game after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, while Durant was sidelined after a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 5.
2019-20 season
On July 7, 2019, the Golden State Warriors traded Iguodala and a protected first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Julian Washburn. The Warriors received trades in the trade with the exception of players.
While Thompson was recovering from an injury, the Golden State Warriors were looking for a replacement for him, a deal that freed up salary space for all-Star guard De Angelo Russell for a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, who Durant had earlier announced he planned to sign with the Nets.
Afterward, the Warriors said they plan to eventually retire Iguodala's No. 9 jersey. The rebuilding Grizzlies reached an agreement ahead of training camp to allow Iguodala to stay away from the team and train alone.
Instead of buying out the 35-year-old, they left him on the opening day's 15-man roster, who made $17 million in the final year of his contract.
Memphis wants to make quality deals with playoff contenders in exchange for Iguodala and his championship experience. His decision to leave the team drew backlash from his teammates, notably Dillon Brooks and Jamorant, who criticised him for being disrespectful to refuse to play.
Miami Heat (2020–2021)
On Feb. 6, 2020, Iguodala was traded to the Miami Heat along with Jackound and Solomon Hill, making three-team trades with the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves. As part of the deal, he agreed to renew his contract with Miami for 2 years and $30 million, with the final year being a team option.
The Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals, and Iguodala became the tenth player in NBA history to reach the Finals six times in a row. At the end of the 2020-21 season, the Heat did not exercise Iguodala's $15 million option for the 2021-22 season to make him a free agent.
Return to Golden State (2021-present)
On August 10, 2021, Iguodala returned to the Golden State Warriors, and the story continues!
National
In the summer of 2000, Andre Iguodala competed in the National Basketball Championship under 17, where he scored a whistle in the final to help the team win the championship and was elected most valuable player.
In 2008, Andre Iguodala was selected for the U.S. sparring team, and in 2009 he participated in a mini-camp organized by the U.S. team.
On August 25, 2010, André Iguodala was named to the 12-man final squad for the 2010 World Championships in Turkey.
On September 13, 2010, the United States defeated host Turkey 81-64 in the final of the 2010 World Championships to regain the World Championship after 16 years.
On 8 July 2012, André Iguodala was named to the 12-man squad for the London 2012 Olympics.
On August 13, 2012, in the men's basketball final of the 2012 Olympic Games, the American Dream Ten team successfully defended the title after four hard fights and a 107-100 victory over Spain.
Career statistics
NBA regular season statistics
NBA playoff stats
Career highlights
●3× NBA Championships: 2015, 2017, 2018
● NBA Best Defensive Lineup: 2011, 2014
● Best Rookie First Team: 2005
● All-Star Eastern Conference Bench Lineup: 2012
● Pacific Ten Leagues All-In-10: 2004
● NBA Finals Most Valuable Player: 2015
● All-Star Rookie Challenge Most Valuable Player: 2006
● National Under-17 Basketball Championship Most Valuable Player: 2000