GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 27, 2021

Andre Igoudala

Media Conference

Q. Can you just walk us through what led you back here to Golden State, how did those conversations take place and how excited were you about it? How did we get to this point?

ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, it was just constant conversations I was having with different folks, and we built something special here, so I got a lot of great relationships. Always been in touch with the guys but Jacob Ruben is someone I play golf a lot with, and one of the -- started off as an intern, one of the hard working guys, building his way up and we built a good connection. There were some other folks but he was another one, would throw crazy scenarios out there, just shooting the crap, and it just came about.

Free agency comes and I was expecting to go in a different type of path of life or whatever, and you know, finished the season off last year better than I thought I would. Called some folks I know and told them, let's do it.

Q. So there was a point last year where you were not even sure if you were going to be playing basketball this year?

ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, not necessarily. I still had a, what do you call it, a Miami had a deadline to pick up my option. So was kind of weighing that option and seeing where that may go and they declined it. Ownership options opened up and you never close the door. So the door is always there; you just decide which one you want to go down.

Q. What have you thought of some of the young guys, Kuminga, Wiseman, some of those guys?

ANDRE IGUODALA: It's a good question. I mean, I haven't even really seen James on the floor machine. Just the time lots when he's on the court and I've been on the core. But I've seen him been doing simple things, simple footwork or a simple hook shot, and really excited to see him back on the floor.

He's asking me the right questions, which tells me a lot about who he is, and that's probably the player I'm most excited to kinds of -- there's a lot that goes into being whatever they call it now, superstar player or living up to the hype of being No. 1 pick, and he's asking the right questions to want to be that great.

But there's a lot that comes with it, and you know, being that young, you really don't know. But I'm really excited to be along that, whatever my short period of time with him is to help him get there and I think he will get there and understanding how important patience is, and just taking it one step at a time. I think most importantly just making sure that he enjoys playing in the NBA.

If anybody watches Ted Lasso, the former player he was saying, like you don't know s--- sitting on this side of the table watching and saying with a your expectations of someone else is, and you've never done what they done. Like you don't know what it takes. There's a lot of expectations of how a player should act, how many points he should score, how many times he should touch the ball. Like all those things just can be heavy bearing on a guy trying to please everyone. And before long you realize your career is over and you spent your whole time trying to prove people wrong instead of just enjoying the journey. So make sure you have fun playing basketball is what I'm getting to.

Q. Klay was just in here and you were there the last time he played a game, and he was reflecting on how well he was shooting in those Finals and defending, as well. Just what you said, not knowing what somebody has gone through but he's rehabbed for two years and he said he's going to play until he's 40 and be a great shooter again. Can you admire what this guy's rehab has been like for two careers and to get back to being the Klay we know?

ANDRE IGUODALA: That's a funny statement, he'll play until he's 406789 I got him into an investment that he doesn't have to play until he's 40 (laughter) but the way he is, he's one of those guys that there's very few players who -- it doesn't matter if you pay them $200 million or $2,000, they are going to prepare the same way. They are going to love the game. They are going to play just as hard, and he's one of those guys.

The money isn't the reason why he plays, and I think that's why you see his commitment. That's why you see him not falter, not waver throughout this period. Obviously you have good days and bad days but you have guys who have one of those injuries and never come back. They just kind of like slowly but surely try to come back, and they take the check and that's it, which is understandable with, you know, how devastating the injury is.

But for a guy to have two ask get back to what I've seen is just a testament to who he is and what he stands for and I'm really looking forward to finding him in the area he likes to be found and watching hip shoot the ball.

I have this thing where I just really enjoy feeding him and making sure he catches it at a certain type of way. I'm sure we have plenty of those moments this upcoming season.

Q. Andrew was in and insists he will stick to his beliefs which right now don't include a vaccination. What are your thoughts on a guy standing his ground and certainly it affects -- it could affect all of you, being around him, but he's pretty adamant right now.

ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, I think we all have to -- we all do our homework a little bit better, that's for all of us. I've been -- I've been upset reading about Andrew Wiggins because it's painting the wrong picture. You know, we're in a day and age now where perception can become reality, and the perception that's going on about him is hurting his value and ultimately can affect the wealth that he accumulates, which is totally unfair.

When you do your homework the way it should be done, you understand there's people who they have an excuse and there's people who have actual values, and he's a guy that has values, and he's the type of guy who will stand guy and he's the type of guy I'll risk being around the situation.

Now, I'm vaccinated and I have an understanding about this, and he has a different understanding, but his understanding it something that I truly respect and I have a value for how he sees life. He's the type of guy that I support the whole way, and hopefully we can find a solution and I think we will.

Q. While we're on the topic of vaccination status, you've been in the conversations with the Players Association for a while now. Do you think there is any point this year, knowing what's going on in San Francisco and New York, especially, where there would be any chance where the players union would come in and say, everybody's got to be vaxxed up?

ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't think you can force it upon guys. I just think you can give people options, and that's what we try to do at the union and that's what we try to do to protect our players physically, emotionally, psychologically. You just give guys options and say, you know, I think we have -- we have guys who, you know, the majority of our player, I shouldn't say majority, but the majority of our players have a love for the game and sometimes we have to relay the mental that it's a business side and for better or worse, the business side outweighs the love of the game and we're in a situation where the business comes first, which is why we're playing in the pandemic and we have to understand how the CBA works and how BRI works and how all this is affected by this pandemic.

So you just give the guys a choice, and you make your choice and then you just live with the consequences. So I think you take -- that's the proper way to take it.

Q. Specific to your own career, you mentioned the door is always open, do you walk into this season thinking this is your last year or are you holding the door open to see how the year plays out and make a decision after that?

ANDRE IGUODALA: I haven't really thought about it to be honest. I have had times where I thought about retiring until, like, year, like, ten, you know what I mean, year seven. You go through different times of your life and it's just like, what's next.

It will always be open. Of course it's going to end. Father Time is undefeated. But I think this year more than anything, each day is going to be full of joy. Like I'm really looking forward to ending the chapter whenever it may end here, but hey, we're going to have some fun.

Q. We all know what Steph can do on the floor and you've seen him evolve as a player, playing a golf event, how proud are you of him of all the things he does? I don't know how he find the time to use his platform for the good he does.

ANDRE IGUODALA: All those things you just said kind of encapsulates who he is as a person, the father, the basketball player, the husband. I just did this cool couples things with him that was like really cool and different. It brought like a lot of fun to me and my wife.

I've said it many times whether what he stands for, a generational impactful guy that you don't see often. It's only like one of those guys every generation, and just kind of how he change the game. You know, I was talking to Steve and Steve was like, you know, Steph Curry was the reason why you're laud to have fun and laugh on the basketball court whereas opposed to before, it was all about showing who was the toughest and meanest and baddest.

He made it cool to go out there and have fun and he made it cool to be a husband who was there with his kids and the whole family first, type of person. You never saw that quite or embraced as much from an athlete before.

Q. How different is Klay now than when you left here? He seemed very introspective and pretty woke suddenly -- well maybe not suddenly.

ANDRE IGUODALA: I wouldn't say suddenly. I think it's just maturity and that's just going to happen naturally. But in his situation, he has a little bit more time to reflect, you know. I try to reach out to him as much as possible over the last two years. Most of the time people are asking how he's doing because they want him back on the court, how is the rehab, how far away do you feel; it's all about their game. But I try to reach out as much as possible in terms of you know, I'm reaching out because I want you to just know I'm there as a person. Just smile and enjoy it all.

We know you're going to be back, take your time, but enjoy the process of trying to get back. Like there's a maturity of going through what he went through. You get a chance to reflect and think about some other things in life and you get to see the bigger picture sometimes. You realize the things that you love; that tells you whether you love the game or not, and the work he's put in shows that he loves the game.

But at the same time, he's seen a lot of different things that have gone on, too, you can't forget that. We're going through the pandemic right now and George Floyd, and you're seeing the effects of what happened to George Floyd across all those things are happening and you know the basketball can be a distraction in a lot of those things, and now he has time to give that some time and get that some thought and give that some action, too.

Q. He was also introspective about having grown up, although being black, his dad had a lot of money and he didn't see a lot until he got older, but now have you had conversations with him about that and George Floyd and stuff like that?

ANDRE IGUODALA: We haven't had that many conversations on that. But we will. I'm pretty sure of that, we will, I spoke about it earlier, like looking forward to the plane rides ask looking forward to the bus rides, locker room chats and all those things. You know, I've been doing a lot of things, and it's for player empowerment. It's not for me. It's for player empowerment. Guys like Klay, Draymond, I need those guys in order to have success with the things that I'm trying to do off the court. So we're going to have plenty of time to dissect and break those things down.