Why Bill Simmons believes Andre Iguodala belongs in the Hall of Fame

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When it's all said and done, should former Warriors forward Andre Iguodala be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame?

During the most recent "Book of Basketball 2.0" podcast, Bill Simmons and Joe House of The Ringer offered their opinions.

"In his Golden State version, he was the best guy in the league -- other than Kawhi (Leonard) -- to guard LeBron (James) and (Kevin) Durant," Simmons said. "As a perimeter defender, I always had (Scottie) Pippen and Kawhi on their own plane, and that's it.

"Steve Kerr feels really strongly that Iguodala was as good as those guys ... Golden State didn't really need him to be the offensive player that Pippen was.

"I think he should be in the Hall of Fame. I think playoff performance matters. Knowing your role, being an unselfish teammate, coming through over and over again in big moments."

Shockingly, Iguodala was named All-Defense only two times -- Second Team in 2010-11 and First Team in 2013-14 (his first season with the Warriors).

As for Simmons' comment about Iguodala repeatedly "coming through" in the clutch, here are a few examples:

In Game 3 of the 2018 Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets, Iguodala sustained a "spider fracture" in his left leg and missed the rest of the series. The Warriors missed him terribly and nearly didn't advance to the NBA Finals.

In Game 6 of the 2019 Western Conference semifinals in Houston -- when the Warriors were without an injured Kevin Durant -- Iguodala stepped up and drilled five 3-pointers to help the Dubs win.

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Going back to 2015, he took home NBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals. And he made life difficult on LeBron.

"I think he is a Hall of Famer because of the vital role, the vital contribution he made to Golden State," House said. "I think the Golden State part of his career is the part that takes him (there). We have to say it every time we talk about the NBA Hall of Fame -- the bar is very low.

"But for what he did, I think his addition to that team -- doing all the dirty work stuff. It was a great Finals MVP moment for the league. He won that by really just doing all the dirty stuff -- being the guy that was willing to do whatever it took to win.

"In view of the legacy of that Warriors team and what he meant to it, I'm fine with him being in the Hall of Fame."

[RELATED: Draymond believes Iguodala's Hall of Fame case is clear]

He only made one All-Star team (2011-12) and never made an All-NBA squad. But he was a winner, sacrificed personal statistics and accolades for team success, is a three-time NBA champion and ... belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Oh, and by the way -- his career isn't over. The 36-year-old still has time to add to his résumé.

See you in Springfield, Andre.

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