Andre Iguodala

Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. He won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2015. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In February 2019, Iguodala was elected first vice-president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), succeeding LeBron James. He had previously served as vice-president of the NBPA executive committee starting in 2013. Early life 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.