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The NBA Finals will likely be the final act for a popular member of the Golden State Warriors.
Andre Iguodala has battled against a series of injuries in his 17th NBA season, appearing in only 31 regular-season games while scoring a career-low 4 points per game. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has praised his other contributions, namely serving as a mentor and de facto assistant coach, but one insider believes that Iguodala’s playing career is more than likely coming to an end with the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
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Last Act for Iguodala
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau noted that Iguodala has been coy about his plans for after the season, but wrote that he “fully expects him to retire” after years of considering it.
“Hanging it up has been on his mind since at least 2017 or 2018,” Letourneau wrote. “And if the Warriors hadn’t come calling last summer, odds are Iguodala would have retired then.”
Letourneau noted that Iguodala “must be disappointed” with how this season has played out for him personally, as he appeared in just four playoff games so far. After spending weeks working his way back from injury to appear in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, Iguodala was back out of the lineup again for Game 2.
Iguodala was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s Game 3 after suffering knee swelling, a new injury. His status for the game, and the rest of the series, remained unclear.
Despite the disappointment, going out with an NBA title could be a fitting way to end a 17-year career, Letourneau added.
“There would be no better way to go out than by helping the Warriors to another title,” he wrote.
Iguodala Spoken About Ending His Career
While he has kept his exact plans a secret, Iguodala has dropped hints that the end of his NBA career is on the horizon. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick back in April, Iguodala tried to take solace in the contributions he was able to make away from the floor this season.
“I haven’t been out there as much as I’d like,” Iguodala said, “but sometimes even if things don’t work out to a T, you still know your presence is being felt and you’re getting the job done. I feel like that. …
“It’s shaping up to be a special way to go out, whether it’s this year or next year or whenever.”
Kerr gave Iguodala credit for helping prepare his teammates for the earlier rounds. Against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, Iguodala never took the floor but was able to help share what he learned guarding Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, talking with teammates about their tendencies.
“He’s like an assistant coach, only one who the players can rely on for real-time advice,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s actually guarded all these guys that we’re going to face.”
That has been especially important given the makeup of the Warriors this season, with budding stars like rookie Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole and James Wiseman alongside the core veterans.
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