How Andre Iguodala was convinced he deserved 2015 NBA Finals MVP
How Andre Iguodala was convinced he deserved 2015 NBA Finals MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Defense wins championships. That proved to be true in the Warriors’ 2015 NBA Finals comeback victory, and when Andre Iguodala took home the NBA Finals MVP Award over teammate Steph Curry.
Iguodala’s accolade sparked a league-wide conversation that continues to be talked about nearly a decade later. In a recent appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, Iguodala was asked if he feels like he deserved the award for how he stepped up in the series when it mattered most.
The 39-year-old veteran forward had an honest response and opened up about his doubts about winning the award. He shared a conversation that he had with his former Miami Heat teammate Trevor Ariza and explained how Ariza checked him when Iguodala would question his worthiness of winning Finals MVP.
“Because we’re in the league for so long and you see all the nasty stuff that goes on behind closed doors in the league, you kind of lose the love of accolades,” Iguodala said. “We love the game of basketball. You see what goes on in the league and sometimes it isn’t even about hoop. I don’t really appreciate certain things the way I should just because the other stuff weighs on it and I’m just like, ‘I don’t really care.’ So, yeah, Steph deserved one before the one he got. I did think he deserved one. So I always say if it was mine, cool. I know the impact I had on the game, but I don’t need anyone to tell me that I did.
“I’m cool with that because my whole career was based on that. I never made a First Team All-Defensive Team, I made one. My first one was in Golden State. The only reason I made the Olympic team in 2012 is because Kobe Bryant was like, ‘This is the best defender in the league.’ And I never made an All-Defensive First Team. So I say all that to say, I don’t care. Yeah, Steph should’ve had mine. I don’t really care. I think Steph should’ve had it.”
Like the rest of the guys in the room,…
