Golden State Warriors fans, players and staffers alike received the news they had been hoping for all summer on Friday when four-time champ Andre Iguodala announced what he’d be doing next season on the latest episode of the Point Forward podcast.
The 38-year-old has decided to hold off on retirement for one more year and chase ring No. 5 alongside his brothers-in-arms.
“I’m going to blame a few people,” Iguodala said of his decision to return. “Steph Curry is one person I am going to blame. But as a group, I am blaming Steph, Draymond [Green] and Klay [Thompson]. Steve [Kerr] a little bit, Bob Myers, I think they just showed me a lot of love.”
“They helped me see my presence outside of physically playing basketball, but also, I think Steve was a big culprit of, ‘We really need you on the court.’ Draymond was big on that as well.”
One player who will no doubt benefit from Iguodala’s presence behind the scenes is former No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga, who took to Instagram to celebrate his teammate coming back for a final season. That shout-out prompted an epic response from Iggy.
Iguodala on a Mission With Kuminga & Co.
As captured and relayed by NBC Sports’ Kerith Burke, Kuminga posted a shot of Iguodala’s Warriors locker on his IG story and included the caption, “Welcome back my brothaaaa.” Rather than responding with a thank you or some kind of rah-rah message about crushing the season, Iggy saw fit to issue a warning to the Dubs’ rising star.
“My Foot Yo Ass!” Iguodala posted to his own story, along with the requisite foot and peach emojis.
Burke estutely noted that while Iggy’s sense of humor is clearly on-point, his reply to Kuminga also had “that stab of truth, that raised eyebrow of accountability.” She’s not wrong, either — keeping the likes of Kuminga, Moses Moody and the rest of the pups in line will be a big part of his job in 2023-24
Iggy said as much during his podcast announcement, too.
“I’m looking forward to playing, but I am on Kuminga, Moses Moody,” Iguodala said. “I am on the young fellas and I’m letting them know, ‘If I get on this court, you ain’t doing something right. No way you should allow me to get on the court.'”
Physically, Iguodala Could Be Limited
Although the Warriors made the move to reacquire Iggy last offseason with the idea that he would be a rotational piece, his body didn’t cooperate with the team’s plan. From January to end of the regular season, he played in just six games as a result of various injuries.
For the year (31 total games), the baller averaged 4.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per contest. However, he shot just 38% from the floor and 23% from three-point range.
Iggy also claimed to have been “retired for the majority of the summer” before his teammates got into his ear. Nevertheless, last season proved that he still has something to offer, whether he’s in the game or not.
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Warriors’ Iguodala Issues Stern Warning to Kuminga, Youngsters