Nobody could have paid homage to Andre Iguodala on Sunday better than Steph Curry.
The Golden State Warriors held Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony following their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. After posting 30 points in a 126-102 Warriors win, Curry took the mic to address both Iguodala and the capacity crowd.
“I think we all can feel it but this isn’t just about a number going into the rafters,” Curry said, via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “This is about a player who changed the course of our entire franchise. … You were the first one to choose us, and that meant the world. For a team that knew we were good but didn’t know how to get to that next level, you unlocked so much confidence, so much IQ, so much maturity to what we did.
“You sacrificed ego for excellence, which for us is the Warriors way.”
Iguodala praised Curry as well during his own speech. The retired swingman called the retirement of his No. 9 jersey the “beginning of the Steph Curry celebration.”
Iguodala, who signed with the team in 2013, was the first of the Warriors’ core foursome to retire. Curry appears to still have several years of high-level play left in the tank. But with Klay Thompson no longer a Warrior and Draymond Green turning 35 next month, Golden State’s supporters will likely be celebrating a few more jersey retirements before the decade ends.
