In basketball, the word sacrifice is often thrown around, but it's easier said than done. Every player thinks he's good enough to start, but only the most unselfish ones will accept a lesser role.
Andre Iguodala wasn't happy when the Golden State Warriors told him to come off the bench before the 2014-15 season. According to former teammate Shaun Livingston on the Knuckleheads podcast, Iggy hesitated to accept a bench role because he thought it might ruin his career.
"It wasn't like that at the beginning," Livingston answered when Darius Miles noted how successful the Warriors bench unit was. "It took time. I think he came around after he saw the team taking to with the buy-in. It was easier for me because I came from what I went through… It was easier for me to buy in because of where I was at."
The 2004 fourth-overall pick had to pick up pieces of himself after a devastating injury. Livingston worked his way back into the league, became a reserve, and eventually a starter in Brooklyn. Iguodala's career path, however, was different.
"He started every single game for ten straight years in his career, and that was the first time he was coming off the bench," the three-time NBA champion noted. "So, for him, it was like, 'Damn, man. They about to ruin my career… They finna mess my career up. I'm about to get out of here.' That was the mindset."
Winning cures everything
It's understandable why Iguodala resisted coming off the bench at first. As Livingston said, he started in the previous 758 games of his career that spanned ten seasons. Besides, the one-time All-Star rolled with the starters under Mark Jackson's Golden State in 2013-14, so why can't he do it again?
Here was the plan, though: Rookie coach Steve Kerr wanted Draymond Green in the starting five with Andrew Bogut. And then, like a pitcher throwing a slider, he'd insert Iguodala in the chaos and run the Death Lineup, a small-ball five that featured Green at center. With the Arizona product in there, they'd be versatile enough to defend bigger opponents and create mismatches on offense with playmaking and shooting.
It sounded sketchy at first, but the results don't lie. The Warriors started 25-5 in the first 30 games and finished with 67 wins, which hasn't been done since the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.
"We was winning, so over time he came around," Livingston said of Iggy. "It was a long time for him, especially because he was still elite in his role, he was still a starter. It came to fruition in the playoffs and the Finals, especially. His reward came during that time… Once there was no ego like that, it was easy."
Related: "Introduced as the greatest player ever and he's still standing there trying to settle scores" - When Michael Jordan's petty antics didn't sit right with a fellow Hall of Famer
The Reward
It's no coincidence that the Warriors jumpstarted their dynasty when Andre embraced the "veteran off the bench" role. "AI2" messed around and became the MVP of Golden State's first Finals run in 2015, averaging a well-rounded 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, four assists, and 1.3 steals.
Moreover, his defense on LeBron James in key moments was nothing less than spectacular. According to ESPN Stats & Info , The King shot 18-of-54 (33%) when guarded by Iggy through the series' first five games. Iguodala did a better job than Kawhi Leonard in the 2014 NBA Finals (58%) and Jimmy Butler in the 2015 Conference Semifinals (39%).
Andre traded his starting spot begrudgingly and ended up with a Finals MVP and possibly a ticket to Springfield. It proves that sometimes, giving up the spotlight is what truly lets you shine.
Related: George Karl taunts Andre Iguodala for his 40th birthday: "I heard moles don't usually live more than 5 or 6 years in the wild"
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