Warriors retiring Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 in February

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Andre Iguodala, who won four NBA titles and Finals MVP honors with the Warriors, becomes the seventh player in team history to have his number raised to the rafters

The Golden State Warriors will retire Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey on February 23 when they host the Dallas Mavericks in San Francisco.

The team made the announcement Tuesday, January 28, on Iguodala’s 41st birthday.

Iguodala is the seventh player in Warriors history to have his number raised to the rafters, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Chris Mullin, Nate Thurmond, Alvin Attles, Rick Barry and Tom Meschery.

The 6-foot-6 swingman won four NBA titles with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. He earned Finals MVP honors in the first championship series of a dynasty that will one day see teammates Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green similarly honored.

“Without those guys, I wouldn’t be in this position,” said Iguodala, who retired in October 2023. 

“I think they understand how important I was. But obviously Steph, Klay and Draymond, just being so unique in who they are, it’s just a powerful formula. It would be really hard to duplicate.”

During the 2015 NBA Finals, he helped the Warriors win three straight games to overcome a 2-1 deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in the series.

“Andre will go down as one of the smartest, shrewdest and most unique and successful players ever to wear a Warriors uniform,” Joe Lacob, Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO, said in a statement. 

“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.”

Iguodala averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 1,231 games (784 starts) with the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Warriors. He made an All-Star team with Philadelphia in 2011-2012 and selected to two NBA All-Defensive teams. – Rappler.com