Warriors' Andre Iguodala on Hall of Fame Credentials: 'None of It Matters'
June 3, 2019
Andre Iguodala has made an interesting Hall of Fame case during his time with the Golden State Warriors. Despite making just one career All-Star team and never reaching an All-NBA pinnacle, he's on the precipice of winning a fourth championship while being arguably the glue that holds the roster together.
Not that any of this interests him.
"I don't care. None of it matters," he told Ethan Strauss of The Athletic regarding his Hall of Fame candidacy. "Does anyone remember any of those speeches other than Jordan's?"
"See, here's how it works. One day, you're replaced. Then it's some other motherf--ker in there. And then there's another motherf--ker. And another after that. Nobody remembers anything. None of it matters!"
From an individual credentials standpoint, Iguodala does not look like a Hall of Famer on paper. He would be just the 31st player in history to make the Hall of Fame with zero or one All-Star selections. A vast majority of those players were selected for non-basketball, international basketball or ABA reasons.
Iguodala has a gold medal as part of the 2012 USA basketball team, but his candidacy will largely be based on these Warriors years.
That's where things get tricky. Without Iguodala, the Warriors almost certainly do not win the 2015 championship. He has a Finals MVP on his mantle to prove it. The 2017 and 2018 banners are probably hanging with or without Iguodala, as injuries limited him during those postseasons.
It's a nearly impossible to parse case because the Hall of Fame is an individual honor. However, the Basketball Hall of Fame is easier to get into than the Pro Football Hall of Fame or Baseball Hall of Fame. If we were talking about Iguodala as a football or baseball player, it would be an open and shut case that he would be on the outside looking in.
As Iguodala adds more team accolades to his career—all while playing an integral role on these teams—his case grows. His made three with 5.9 seconds remaining to seal Sunday's Game 2 victory over the Toronto Raptors may have been the play people point to where Iguodala clinched his spot.
Not that he seems to particularly care one way or another.