Retired Warriors Legend Andre Iguodala Likens Chris Paul to Michael Jordan: “It Could Rub People the Wrong Way”

Andre Iguodala, 39, is closing the curtains on his NBA career; he has announced his retirement after a 19-year run in the league. The former Finals MVP (2015) won four Championships with the Golden State Warriors and is an NBA All-Star (2012). Andre’s name also made it to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice.

Now that the defensive stalwart and Warriors legend is putting a successful and fruitful career to rest, he goes down memory lane and shares his experience with Warriors’ Chris Paul, after the creation of the NBA bubble amidst the pandemic. In fact, he is grateful for that time as he got to know Chris better and “gained a real friend.”

Chris Paul was competitive like Michael Jordan

Andre expressed his deep respect for Chris, who he says was competitive to the core. Andre likens Chris’ spirit of competitiveness to that of Michael Jordan’s; he says, “He?s on that Michael Jordan level.” Andre, being a competitive player himself, can relate to Chris, and says that Chris was so determined and focused on winning that he did not care about anything else, which could sometimes be taken the wrong way by people. His passion and spirit won over Andre’s heart.

They were alike in the sense that both Andre and Chris took the game seriously and they were committed to creating a safe place for the players to come together. This likeness in mind, spirit, and love for the game made the two connect on a higher level. The NBA bubble was conceptualized and implemented with close cooperation from the two. Andre emphasized how Chris’ dedication had a significant influence on him. He recalls, “The union was like a duty that he served to his utmost ability.”

Beyond this, the two also shared an extended vision.

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They wanted to send out a positive message

The primary goal of the bubble was to resume the game in a safe environment, but for Andre and Chris, it was more than just coming together and playing. He says, “It was more than just playing basketball. And some people might?ve seen it the wrong way as like, oh, you?re going to play with all this going on. And we were trying to explain to people it?s bigger than that.”

Despite people assuming that they were out there playing during the pandemic to get their money, they wanted to use that platform as some sort of tool to make a positive impact on society. Andre remembers how the pandemic had thrown people out of their works, and in the midst of this, the ‘Black Lives Matter‘ movement had also gained traction.

Both Andre and Chris saw that the NBA players with their prominence and influence, had to use this platform as a means to show the Americans that they stood in solidarity with the people. At this point, it became bigger than the game. In this way, two like-minded and talented people were brought together, for which Andre remains grateful to this day.

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What is your favorite memory of Andre Iguodala? Let us know.