Many basketball fans recognize Andre Iguodala from his tenure with the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, or perhaps from Max Kellerman’s iconic quote, “The fate of the universe on the line. The Martians have the death beam pointed at the earth, you better hit it. I want Igoudala!” But Iggy is more than just an elite NBA athlete; he’s also a player advocate. Many people are unaware of his participation in the National Basketball Players Association, but he insists that his ardent player support is just part of the job.
Advertisement
Iguodala initially joined the NBPA as a member of the executive committee in 2013. In 2019, he became the vice president, replacing LeBron James, and served in that position until his retirement in 2023, when he was appointed to the association’s executive director role.
The four-time NBA champion uses the competitive fire he had on the court to fight for the players in various discussions, including the CBA. But the NBPA, according to Iggy, is not the place the place to go if you want recognition for your hard work or to earn a paycheck, as membership and administration is a voluntary. He has one word to describe the experience.
“It’s a thankless thing, but you really build a community,” Iguodala said on a guest appearance on Kyrie Irving’s Twitch stream.
Irving couldn’t hold back a verbal reaction to Iguodala’s choice of words. “Thankless thing? That’s a fact,” Irving said. As an active player who has been in the league for 14 years, Irving understands exactly what Iggy means.
Despite the lack of credit Iguodala and the rest of the NBPA receive, Iggy’s proud of all the good they have accomplished. “We have the highest minimum wage in the world,” Iguodala proclaimed. “The average salary is $14 million, that’s the middle class. The lowest is $900,000. You make a million dollars as minimum wage [in the league].”
This is a testament to how prosperous the league has been, which is due in large part to the NBPA’s involvement. Many people don’t look favorably at this aspect, though. Instead, they complain about the second apron and how it is bad for the NBA. In most instances, players don’t like the restriction because it forces their team to subsidize their talent pool.
What makes Iguodala such a good executive director is that he doesn’t care about the credit. He holds the well-being of the players at the forefront of his intentions. “We’re not looking for credit. We’re just trying to help the business grow. They don’t understand certain sacrifices being made,” Iguodala said.
Irving’s reaction and Iguodala’s explanation have begun to build more respect for the NBPA. Hopefully, more players will see this clip, follow in Irving’s footsteps and finally give the NBPA the credit it deserves.
