Warriors to retire Andre Iguodala number

The Warriors had some massive news Tuesday morning. They are going to honor a legend next month. The following comes from the team:

SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors will retire Andre Iguodala’s #9 jersey on Sunday, February 23, following the team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center (12:30 p.m. tipoff), making him just the seventh player in Warriors franchise history to have his jersey number retired by the organization. Iguodala’s #9 will join Warriors legends Alvin Attles (#16), Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14), Chris Mullin (#17) and Nate Thurmond (#42) in the rafters at Chase Center.

“Andre will go down as one of the smartest, shrewdest and most unique and successful players ever to wear a Warriors uniform,” said Warriors Co-Executive Chairman & CEO Joe Lacob. “We thought all of that could be true when we acquired him in 2013, but the reality—four titles, six Finals appearances, a Finals MVP—exceeded even our wildest imaginations. He was the perfect player and person at the perfect time for our team, and the sacrifice he made in coming off the bench in 2014 sent a message that he came here to help us do one thing: win. The proof is in the rafters, and his number belongs alongside the banners he helped us raise.” 

A four-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with Golden State, Iguodala appeared in 452 career regular season games (84 starts) with the Warriors, averaging 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.0 minutes per game over eight seasons (2013-19, 2021-23). Iguodala appeared in 111 playoff games (40 starts) with Golden State, averaging 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 28.5 minutes. Of the 56 players that have played at least 111 playoff games with a single franchise, Iguodala’s winning percentage with the Warriors (78-33, .703) is the highest in NBA history.

Iguodala, who reached the NBA Finals in six of his eight seasons with the Warriors and qualified for the postseason in all eight campaigns, helped the franchise end a 40-year championship drought in 2015. With Golden State trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals, 2-1, Iguodala was inserted into the starting lineup in a move that served as a catalyst for a three-game win streak to secure the Warriors’ first NBA championship since 1975. He was named NBA Finals MVP with averages of 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the six-game series.

Iguodala is one of only 11 players to win four NBA championships and earn an NBA Finals MVP, along with teammate Stephen Curry and NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, John Havlicek, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tony Parker. He ranks in the Top 5 on the Warriors’ all-time postseason career leaders lists in several categories including: third in assists (383), fourth in steals (122), fifth in three-pointers made (113), fourth in games played (111) and fourth in minutes played (3,160).

Originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Iguodala was originally acquired by the Warriors in a sign-and-trade, three-team deal with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz on July 10, 2013. Over 19 NBA seasons, he played in 1,231 career games (784 starts) with the 76ers, Nuggets, Miami Heat and Warriors, averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 32.1 minutes per game. He was named to the All-Defensive Team twice (First Team in 2013-14, Second Team 2010-11) and was an NBA All-Star with Philadelphia in 2012.