Four-time NBA champion and Finals MVP retires after 19 seasons

Andre Iguodala is calling it quits after 19 seasons in the NBA that resulted in four championships. 

Iguodala, 39, who spent eight of his last 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, announced his retirement on Friday, just four days before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. 

“It’s just the right time,” Iguodala told Andscape in a phone interview. “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.

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“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.”

Iguodala said he had interest from the Warriors and other teams about returning but ultimately decided to retire. 

Iguodala was drafted out of the University of Arizona in 2004 by the Philadelphia 76ers with the ninth overall pick. He spent his first eight seasons in Philadelphia and was selected to his lone All-Star Game in 2012. 

A lock-down defender, Iguodala joined the Warriors in 2013 and was a member of the core group of players who won four championships. 

Iguodala was named the MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals after the Warriors defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

“That was pretty cool,” Iguodala told Andscape. “It was funny. [Then-Warriors general manager] Bob Myers was the one that gave me the news. That was one of those moments you’ll never forget. I remember every moment when that happened. But it’s always safe to say if you just go out and do your job and what you’re supposed to do, things will happen the way they’re supposed to happen. You just got to have faith that things will work out favorably as long as you have that faith.

“You see a lot in sports like guys going out, making sure they get it, and that sometimes that gets in the way of the team success. It always does.”

Prior to the 2022-23 NBA season, Iguodala said that his 19th year in the league would be his last. 

He played in just eight games last year as he battled injuries during a tumultuous season for Golden State. 

Iguodala ends his career with an average of 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He was selected to two All-NBA Defensive teams.