Andre Iguodala believes the biggest takeaway from LeBron James considering the Golden State Warriors isn’t about free agency, it’s about Stephen Curry’s impact on the game.
With James weighing his options ahead of what would be his record-breaking 24th NBA season, Iguodala said the mere possibility of the four-time MVP wanting to join Curry says everything about the Warriors superstar’s legacy.
“As I’ve been saying since 2013, Steph Curry, no one understands how great he is,” Iguodala told ESPN on Friday after the National Basketball Players Association’s executive leadership transition news conference.
The former Warriors forward revealed that a recent conversation with a friend made him look at the situation differently.
“He’s like, ‘Steph Curry, if he’s going to get another one of the greatest players of their generation to play on his team, what does it say about him?'” Iguodala said.
Iguodala believes Curry’s influence stretches far beyond championships and statistics.
“We have to look back like, ‘Whoa,'” Iguodala said of his former teammate. “We’ll still see his effect [on the game] 30, 40 years from now. People who never thought of playing in the NBA are trying to get there now because of him. There’s only one LeBron James. A lot of people can have Steph’s stature. So just like you when you have Yao Ming, you got 2 billion more people interested in basketball, you got a bunch of Stephs walking around.
“And there’s some things about him that you can’t get. He’s God-given and gifted, but his stature [is relatable].”
While the prospect of James joining Golden State has generated enormous attention, Iguodala admitted the conversation around Curry’s legacy could even influence LeBron’s final decision.
“The competitive nature and how we draw narratives,” Iguodala said, “that narrative, if it gets out before LeBron makes a decision, it could alter the decision, too.”
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