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As the old adage in sports goes, circumstances may change, but flags fly forever. For the Golden State Warriors, they have been in a state of transition over the past few years, and this past offseason, they most notably lost Klay Thompson in free agency to the Dallas Mavericks — officially ending the Splash Brothers era that netted the Dubs four championship rings.
But on Sunday night, during the Warriors' jersey retirement ceremony for one of the most important players of their dynasty, Andre Iguodala, Thompson went out and showed the love even after him and the Mavs were on the receiving end of a 126-102 loss. Thompson and Iguodala shared the same locker room for nearly a decade and came out of that time together as two of the most successful players in Golden State history, so it's no surprise that Thompson decided to pop out and witness history.
There may be questions as to whether or not the Warriors treated Thompson as well as they could have in light of his decline in recent years, but make no mistake about it, the franchise knows how to honor the players that were invaluable to their championship runs. Iguodala is one of them; he sacrificed personal stats and glory and became the Sixth Man for three championship-winning teams, even winning NBA Finals MVP honors in 2015.
Thompson and Iguodala have built quite the strong rapport over the years, and nothing, not even the former's decision to join the Mavericks or the latter's decision to retire, would ever change that. And it should not be long before the Warriors hang Thompson's iconic number 11 in the rafters alongside Iguodala's number nine.
Andre Iguodala helped define the Warriors' decade of greatness
Little did everyone know back in 2013 when the Warriors signed Iguodala that he would become part one of the most iconic dynasties in NBA history. And when Steve Kerr came in and became the team's head coach, Iguodala willingly sacrificed his starting role for the greater good, showing why he was the ultimate glue guy.
In 2022, Iguodala's impact was felt even though he was no longer a part of the Warriors' playoff rotation. He became the team's elder statesman and a crucial veteran who was in the ear of Thompson and fellow wing Andrew Wiggins at all times. Iguodala may not be the flashiest player in the world, but he is the quintessential fill-in-the-gaps player who, in the immortal words of Max Kellerman, can save planet Earth when the “Martians have the death beam” pointed on the planet.
