Andre Iguodala

Andre Tyler Iguodala (born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

During the summer of 2000, Iguodala captured the attention of coaches around the nation by hitting the a game-winning buzzer-beater to give his team the 17-and-under AAU national title and being named the tournament MVP.

As a senior in 2002, Iguodala led Lanphier's basketball team to a runner-up finish at the Illinois High School Association Class AA state tournament.

That season, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

He was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year as well as a second-team Parade All-American and Nike All-American.

Iguodala was also a finalist for the Illinois Mr. Basketball award, which was won by Dee Brown.

His Lanphier jersey is now retired.

In 2002, he played in the Jordan Brand Classic in Washington, D.C. In 22 minutes of play, he put up six points on 3–6 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block.

Iguodala played AAU basketball under Larry Butler and the Illinois Warriors, the team that has featured other professional players such as Dwyane Wade and Quentin Richardson, and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.

Considered a four-star recruit by Scout.com, Iguodala was listed as the No. 6 small forward and the No. 26 player in the nation in 2002.

Iguodala initially signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Arkansas.

He had narrowed down his list of desired schools to two: Kansas or Arkansas.

Iguodala was enticed by Arkansas's 1–3 system, which would have allowed Iguodala to run the point occasionally.

Iguodala visited the Arkansas campus and was impressed by their large gymnasium and the number of fans at a practice while there with his mother and father.

However, after their coach, Nolan Richardson, was fired that year (2002), Iguodala decided to attend Arizona instead.

At Arizona he joined future NBA players Channing Frye, Luke Walton, Mustafa Shakur, Salim Stoudamire and Hassan Adams.

One of the determining factors for Iguodala was the commitment of Hassan Adams, whom Iguodala had played with in the Jordan Brand Classic in high school.

Many colleges regarded Iguodala as a track star turned basketball player but teammate Luke Walton said, "He is going to be one of the best players to ever come out of Arizona by the time he is done here".

He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshmen team for 2002–03.

In his freshman year he quickly established himself as one of the best all-around players on the team, ranking in the top 5 for his team in just about every major category.

After earning first-team all-conference honors in the Pac-10 (known now as the Pac-12) as a sophomore in 2004, he was selected in the 2004 NBA draft with the ninth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.

He was also a member of the U.S. national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal both times.

Iguodala played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats.

The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice.

Iguodala played for Philadelphia until the summer of 2012 when he joined the Denver Nuggets in a four-team trade.

He was acquired by Golden State in 2013.

He had previously served as vice-president of the NBPA executive committee starting in 2013.

On November 9, 2023, the NBPA executive committee appointed Iguodala as NBPA Acting Executive Director.

Iguodala was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Linda Shanklin.

His older brother, Frank, played for Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois, and Dayton.

His mother is African American, while his father is Nigerian.

Growing up, Iguodala rooted for the Chicago Bulls, and cites Michael Jordan as the player he looked up to.

Iguodala attended Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois, which had produced such notable athletes as baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and NBA guard Kevin Gamble.

He did well there both academically and athletically, winning All-Conference academic honors, making the National Honor Roll, being named State Journal-Register Student-Athlete of the Week several times, and earning three letters in track for the high jump.

In 2014–15, he became a reserve for the first time in his career, but played a major role.

He captured the Finals MVP after returning to the starting lineup in the middle of the championship series.

He won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2015.

In February 2019, Iguodala was elected first vice-president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), succeeding LeBron James.

After three championships and five trips to the Finals with the Warriors, Iguodala had a two-year stint with the Miami Heat, with whom he reached his sixth straight Finals in 2020.

He returned to the Warriors in 2021 and won his fourth NBA championship the same season, in limited playing time.