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On October 20, former Philadelphia 76ers star Andre Iguodala announced his retirement from the NBA. Iguodala, who played for the Sixers from 2004 to 2012, went on ESPN’s First Take to send a message after his retirement.
“It was a beautiful run, beautiful ride. Played in some great cities. Played for some great organizations. Learned a lot over the course of my career. Some great teammates, and what I’m trying to do, or what I’ve tried to do off the court, and be the leader investing in a tech space. Opening that door and bringing it to the players has been beautiful to watch and continue to go down that journey.”
Iguodala made his lone all-star team with the Sixers in 2012. After being traded the following offseason, Iguodala won four championships in a sixth-man role for the Golden State Warriors while also playing a role in the Miami Heat making an NBA Finals appearance in 2020.
Iguodala made the playoffs five times with the Sixers and almost led to them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012. While it was not the most successful basketball era for the Sixers, Iguodala represented the bridge from Allen Iverson to Joel Embiid.
Evan Turner Pays Tribute to Andre Iguodala
After Iguodala announced his retirement, former Sixers teammate Evan Turner took to Instagram to pay tribute to his former teammate.
“4x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 3x All Defense, 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist. Last but not least, he’s A REAL ONE! HOLLA, IGUODALA!”
Turner and Iguodala were teammates for two years on the Sixers from 2010 to 2012. Though their time together was brief, the two built a very strong rapport with one another, as they currently host a podcast called “Point Forward.”
Both Turner and Iguodala played a role in how the Sixers managed to go on one of their more successful playoff runs since 2001, when they almost beat the Boston Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Though their time together was brief, Turner and Iguodala clearly have a bond that may not have been possible had they not played together on the Sixers. A friendship that was strong enough for Turner to celebrate Iguodala’s retirement.
Andre Iguodala Explains Why He Retired
On the “Point Forward” podcast, Iguodala explained how the grind of the NBA factored into why he decided to call it quits.
“That stuff hurts,” Iguodala said. “I think people don’t realize like what your body goes through. Even the people closest to you. They don’t even realize what our bodies are going through. Like, we be in pain, and they just look at us like, ‘He always hurt, or you always soar,’ or something always. And it’s like, nah, I need a new hip. I need two new knees. I need new wrists now.”
Despite his body breaking down over time, Iguodala had a long and prosperous career in the NBA, having played from 2004 to 2023. The only players in NBA history who played in the league longer than him are Vince Carter, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, Udonis Haslem (who retired earlier in 2023), and LeBron James.
The only other notable Sixer who played as long as Iguodala is NBA Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone, who played from 1976 to 1995.
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