Things have felt a little rocky between Andre Iguodala and the Golden State Warriors as of late. The former NBA Finals MVP was apparently told that he would not be retained if the Warriors could not keep Kevin Durant. Of course, Durant chose the Brooklyn Nets in free agency this summer, and Iguodala was shipped off to the Memphis Grizzlies.
During a book tour this offseason, Iguodala has said some unflattering things about the Warriors organization. One that caught our eye in particular was Iggy saying that Golden State misrepresented his leg injury in the 2018 playoffs. At the time, the team said he had a bone bruise, but during his book tour Iguodala said it was actually a fracture.
The trade of Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies was completed on Sunday, and during the announcement Golden State owner Joe lacob appeared to try to make amends. He had previously announced that no player would ever wear Kevin Durant No. 35, and now Lacob wants to retire Iguodala’s No. 9 as well.
Via Twitter:
Golden State Warriors‘ Joe Lacob says the franchise intends to retire Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey, in statement thanking Iguodala.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2019
This is a reasonable gesture and one that makes sense in terms of announcement timing more than Durant’s.
Iguodala is closer to the end of his tenure in the NBA, and spent three more seasons with the team than Durant. It never felt as though Iguodala was a hired gun for Golden State the way Durant was. He’s a Warriors through-and-through. Durant? Not so much.
In any case, Golden State is free to do whatever it wants and it makes sense that Lacob would try to heal some wounds by saying he will honor Iguodala in this way.