Golden State Warriors

Andre Iguodala took his time deciding, but ultimately chose to retire from the NBA this offseason after 19 seasons and four championships.

Iguodala’s retirement news was published Friday morning by the New York Times and ESPN.

All four of those NBA Finals wins came since joining the Warriors in 2013 and becoming a do-it-all sixth man who helped connect Golden State’s title teams over the next half-decade.

Iguodala, 39, famously was named the 2015 NBA Finals MVP on the strength of his defensive work against Cavaliers star LeBron James as the Warriors won the six-game series to capture their first championship in four decades. He also moved into the starting lineup for the final three games of the series, all of which were wins against a Cleveland team reduced by injury.

He was also a key player on the 2017 and 2018 title teams, though the Warriors relied less on him with Kevin Durant on the roster.

His basketball intelligence paired with his slashing offensive style and physical defense fit in perfectly with the Warriors’ mix of speed, shooting and ball movement.

Iguodala’s path to the Warriors included an early career in Philadelphia, where he was an All-Star in 2012, and a trade to Denver the following year. After the Warriors upset his Nuggets in the 2013 playoffs, he joined Golden State via a sign-and-trade deal as a free agent.

In telling Andscape’s Marc J. Spears of his retirement, he lauded the Warriors’ unselfishness in winning four titles over his eight seasons in the Bay Area.

“No organization has been run like this,” he said. “And I think it’s a testament to us believing in each other, playing the right way. The game was played beautifully and had perfect timing for me right there in my prime.”

He was sacrificed in the Warriors’ attempt to extend their dynasty, as he was traded to Memphis in 2019 to make room for the sign-and-trade deal to bring D’Angelo Russell to Golden State after Kevin Durant chose to leave for Brooklyn. He never played for the Grizzlies, then spent a year and a half in Miami before rejoining the Warriors before the 2021-22 season.

Iguodala had certainly slowed down in recent years, playing just eight games last season and 38 (including seven playoff games) during the Warriors’ 2021-22 championship season. He was an unsigned free agent after last season and told ESPN that he turned down offers from the Warriors and other teams to play this year.

He told DealBook, the Times’ business newsletter, that in retirement he plans to run a venture capital fund called Mosaic, which he recently raised. He also has invested in Bay FC, the coming NWSL team, as well as English soccer club Leeds United and the Bay Area’s team in TGL, the new golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.