Andre Iguodala has been in the NBA since 2004. He has played in over 1,200 total regular season and postseason games, and won three championships. He won two gold medals, and a Finals MVP award. He has also dealt with injury issues over the course of his career, and they have taken their toll. Iguodala is 36 years old now, with a lot of miles on his body, so it's natural that thoughts of retirement would pop into his mind. And they have. But while his time will come soon enough, Iguodala isn't ready to call it a career quite yet.
"I have about a year or two left," the Miami Heat veteran said, via Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports. "I'm serious this time. I got two left."
This isn't the first time that Iguodala has addressed his impending retirement. He said something similar last year, when he stated that he could physically play for another half-decade, but didn't intend to.
"I have a good idea how much longer I want to play," Iguodala said, via Marc Stein of the New York Times. "I'm keeping it to myself, but it's going to be soon. I can play four or five more years. But I won't."
The Heat have to be happy to hear that Iguodala has a couple of years left in him, since they just signed him to a two-year, $30 million extension earlier this year. At the peak of his powers, Iguodala was one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA. He was a lock-down perimeter defender with extreme athleticism and the ability to get buckets in transition and in the half court. He has also shot a respectable 33 percent from long distance over the course of his career. He was a huge part of the reason that the Golden State Warriors won titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and he was named Finals MVP in '15 due to the overall impact that he had on the series. Though he may be a bit past his prime as a player, he can still be a positive contributor on both ends of the floor, and thus a valuable rotation piece for a team with lofty aspirations, like the Heat. Iguodala's experience alone is an invaluable asset for a franchise.
Iguodala's extension with the Heat includes a team option for the second season, so the two sides could conceivably part ways following next season, at which point Iguodala could decide to hang his sneakers up. That means that next season could potentially be the last in the well-decorated career of Iguodala. Even if next season isn't his finale, it's clear that the clock is ticking, so be sure to appreciate his contributions to the game while he's still making them.
