“Don’t Wanna Like Show Too Much Respect”: Andre Iguodala Reveals Admiring LeBron James While Opening Up About His Favorite NBA Stars

Andre Iguodala recently retired after a glorious 19-year career in the NBA, playing against some of the best players in the league. In a recent episode of his podcast Point Forward, Iguodala gave flowers to LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, and Chris Paul, for their dedication and skills. However, the player that struck him the most was LeBron James, whom he has faced multiple times in the playoffs and Finals series.

It was hard for Iguodala to give James his due flowers during his career. Iggy saw LBJ as one of his greatest competitions, especially when he faced a prime LeBron James during his first stint with the Golden State Warriors.

Speaking about James in his podcast, Iggy said,

“I actually got a chance to tell him like LeBron it was really hard to really like give him flowers. Like you don’t wanna like show too much respect because you got to compete against him, and so, you know, he’s a little bit older now, but he’s still dominating the game.” 

Apart from the King, Iguodala also mentioned some of his favorite players like Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Brandon Ingram, who was a force to reckon with in his first playoff. He even name-dropped Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker, which seems like a fine list of players.

To this day, LeBron James and Andre Iguodala’s matchups are highly regarded by NBA fans. Perhaps it’s pretty understandable for Iguodala not to give LBJ his flowers back when he was in the game. However, now that he is retired from the game, it’s quite refreshing to see him reminiscing some of his best memories, which include his greatest rival, LeBron James.

LeBron James and Andre Iguodala had some epic matchups through the years

Indeed, Iguodala’s some of the greatest games came against LeBron James when the Warriors were contending for the NBA championship. In their first Finals series in 2015, Iguodala only allowed James to score 38.1% of his shots and helped the Dubs win the championship with a 4-2 win.

It’s not like LBJ never had any chance to redeem against Iguodala in the Finals series. In the 2016 NBA Finals, James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship with a 4-3 win against the defending champions.

James’ Game 7 crucial block against Iguodala and a comeback from being 3-1 down are still remembered as one of the greatest moments in a Finals series in the NBA.

In retrospect, Andre Iguodala indeed had a remarkable career with four rings and being an indispensable part of the Warriors dynasty’s greatest years of success.