Andre Iguodala Retires From The NBA After 19 Seasons

Basketball star Andre Iguodala has announced his retirement after playing 19 seasons in the NBA. Iguodala, 39, ends his career as one of the more decorated players of his generation, with a four NBA titles, an NBA Finals MVP award, and All-Star selection on his resume.

The versatile, defensive stalwart announced the news on Thursday (Oct. 19), days prior to the beginning of the league’s 2023-24 regular season. He pointed to his desire to prioritize his family as one of the factors that played into his decision. “It’s just the right time,” the Illinois native told Andscape via phone.

“Time started to get limited for me, and I didn’t want to put anything in the back seat. I didn’t want to have to try to delegate time anymore. Especially with on the court, off the court with family. A lot,” he continued. “You want to play at a high level. But then family is a lot. My son is 16 and then two girls. So [I’m] looking forward to seeing them grow up in those important years.”

According to Iguodala, he was in talks with his former team, the Golden State Warriors, and several other organizations about possibly joining a team for the upcoming season prior to deciding to call it quits. He last played for Golden State during 2022–23 season, which ended with the Warriors bowing out of the 2nd Round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

A standout during his time at the University of Arizona during the early ’00s, Iguodala was drafted ninth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2004 NBA Draft. In 2010, he competed in the FIBA World Championship 2012, taking home a gold medal, and participated in the Olympics for team USA two years later and won a gold medal after the U.S. defeated Spain.

After several years with the Sixers, Iguodala spent one season with the Denver Nuggets before signing with Golden State prior to the 2013-14 regular season. In 2015, Iguodala and the Warriors won the NBA Finals after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, with Iguodala being named NBA Finals MVP after averaging 16.3 points, 4.0 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in the series.

Iguodala would win three additional NBA championships with the Warriors, the last of which came in 2022. Traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019, lguodala would never play for the franchise and was later traded to the Miami Heat mid-season, where he would remain for the duration of the 2019-20 campaign and the 2020-21 season.

The small forward would return to the Warriors prior to the 2021-22 season, winning the last of his four championships with the team in 2022 before ultimately ending his career with the franchise the following year. The Warriors have announced plans to retire Iguodala’s jersey following his retirement, news that was first shared by Warriors owner Joe Lacob in 2019.

In 19 seasons, Iguodala averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 1,231 games.

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