There is no doubt that Andre Iguodala played a pivotal role in the Golden State Warriors' 2015 NBA Finals win, but the fact that he won the Finals MVP Award over teammate Stephen Curry has long been debated. Iguodala himself recently weighed into the argument, suggesting that he wouldn't have been upset had Curry received the award instead of him.

Speaking on the Gilbert Arenas Show, Iguodala said: “Steph [Curry] deserved one before the one he got… If it was mine, cool. I know the impact I had on the game. I don't need anybody to tell me that I did.”

Based on stats alone, there's certainly a pretty clear case for Stephen Curry. He averaged 26.0 points, shot 38.5% from three, and also racked up 5.2 boards and 6.3 assists. Andre Iguodala averaged a comparatively low 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists, though his elite defense was obviously also a major part of his contribution. Of course, on stats alone, LeBron's 35.8-13.3-8.8 averages would have been MVP worthy, but with his team going down in six games he was never going to win an award.

In contrast to the Cleveland Cavaliers in that series, the Warriors were a team whose brilliance was spread across the team, and Curry was certainly not an obvious choice to win the award. Nonetheless, his contribution was plain to see, and whether he should have won the award that year will be debated until the end of time.

Typically, however, one wouldn't expect any arguments in his favor to come from the man who beat him to the Finals MVP. In a league filled to the brim with egos, Iguodala's ability to acknowledge that Curry may have deserved the award and that he, personally, doesn't need the validation it provides stands out. As a player, he was recognized for his team-first approach, his ability to fit into a system, play within his limits and execute what the team most needed. These comments are indicative of such a mindset.