"You're one of the white guys that actually belong at a high level" - Andre Iguodala raves about former NBA champion and new teammate
Andre Iguodala has raved about his new teammate Donte DiVincenzo, who the Golden State Warriors signed in free agency. DiVincenzo won the championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 before he was traded to the Sacramento Kings last season.
In an interview with the The Athletic, Iguodala discussed the roster changes at Golden State this offseason. The four-time champ likes what he has seen from DiVincenzo, who was a starter for the Bucks two seasons ago. However, he jokingly made a controversial comment about DiVincenzo.
"He's really good. I have this funny thing with white players," Iguodala said. "It's like, 'Yo, it ain’t too many of y'all that are really good.' But he's good, I'm like, 'You're one of the white guys that actually belong at a high level.' It's white guys that belong, but he's really good."
The Golden State Warriors lost several key pieces from their championship run, like Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II. However, they added Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green and a couple of rookies. Andre Iguodala, who brings leadership and experience, was ready to walk away from the game before getting persuaded to play one more season.
DiVincenzo was one of the players who helped encourage Iguodala to return. The one-time champ told reporters earlier this week that he's a fan of the former Philadelphia 76ers star, per NBC Sports. He's looking forward to teaming up with Iguodala and learning a lot from him about basketball and business.
"I told him in the locker room before he made his announcement," DiVincenzo said. "Andre was in here a couple days and I told him, 'Bro, I know it's not going to mean much, but it'd mean the f**king world to me if you come back.' I'm not one, I guess it's a pride thing, to say stuff like that much."
He continued:
"But I grew up watching him. Philadelphia, Andre is big time to me. To be able to form that relationship off the court and learn on the court, I'm going to be the biggest sponge."
Andre Iguodala to play in his final NBA season
Andre Iguodala announced two weeks ago that he'll be returning to the Golden State Warriors by signing a one-year deal. Iguodala also said that he'll be retiring at the end of the season, per ESPN. The four-time champ admitted that he was ready to retire in the offseason but was persuaded to return.
Iguodala told The Athletic that he would focus on his business when his career is over. He's the co-founder and general partner of Mastry Ventures, a venture capital firm launched last year.
"I have an actual other business that I actually have up and running," Iguodala said. "So I don't have the luxury to be able to stick around a little bit. Once I'm done, I've got to go over there. I have to get to that. ... I've got it held off at bay for a little while longer, but at some point, I've got to go full time over there."
The Warriors’ display in Japan showed exactly why getting Andre Iguodala back is such a big deal.
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