Warriors have multiple paths to properly celebrating franchise icons

Warriors have multiple paths to properly celebrating franchise icons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Sometime in the foreseeable future, perhaps by 2030, the folks calling the shots for the Golden State Warriors will begin the process of retiring jerseys and putting up statues outside Chase Center.

It will be fun, a dream come true for the team’s elite players.

There also will be at least a modicum of consternation.

Stephen Curry is the first obvious choice for both honors. He is a two-time MVP award winner and the grease within the gears that sent them to four championships in an eight-year span.

His statue will be the biggest, brightest of them all.

But will it be unveiled as part of a one-man show? Will it be Curry first and foremost, with the others to follow?

There is another approach that is conceivable if not altogether likely: Draymond Green and Klay Thompson go up with Curry. A trio statue, with the best player in franchise history flanked by longtime teammates who were All-Stars in their own right.

It would be an interesting way to go, as the argument can be made that Curry, Green and Thompson were one of the sport’s most accomplished triumvirates – as good as any in the history of the NBA. Though Curry is the true superstar, those six trips to the NBA Finals, yielding four championships, were a product of their alliance, which delivered more than a few moments of magic.

Curry would not have four rings without Green and Thompson, and they could not have come close to four rings without him.

There is no question, though, that all three merit statues, whether as a group or as individuals. No matter the artistic format, they’re all getting that treatment. No matter what happens over the next few seasons, they’ve already earned it.

Which brings us to Kevin Durant. His jersey is going up. That much has been confirmed by Golden State CEO Joe Lacob, who long ago conceded that Durant’s spectacular three-year span with the Warriors was enough to raise his No. 35 to the rafters at Chase.

But a statue, too? That’s another level of gratitude and decoration.

The strongest argument for a Durant statue is that his decision to join the Warriors in July 2016 put fear in the hearts of the other 29 teams in the NBA. The Warriors, for the first time in their existence, were the biggest bullies in the league. That much was accepted as fact from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Durant’s arrival made the Warriors instantly iconic. They could have won more championships without him, but KD – and his two deserving Finals MVP awards – represented a foot on the necks of every opponent.

The only argument against Durant is that three years, 246 games, including postseason, might be worthy of a jersey retirement but is too brief to warrant a statue outside an arena in which he never suited up as a Warrior.

For context, consider the Miami Heat. They’re putting up their first statue outside Kaseya Center next month and it will feature Dwyane Wade, the most important player they’ve ever paid. His jersey was retired in 2020, one year after his retirement.

What has not happened, and might not ever, is the Heat putting up a statue of LeBron James, who spent four seasons in Miami, reaching The Finals each year and winning two championships.

Whether KD gets dual acknowledgment is a decision for the Warriors. They might have already made the call and simply are waiting for the appropriate time. My vote? Yes.

There is one more player, however, who is part of this conversation: Andre Iguodala.

As a member of the Denver Nuggets that lost a first-round playoff series to the Warriors in 2013, Iguodala was quick to recognize the team’s potential. Upon becoming a free agent a couple months later, he engineered a path to Golden State – taking less money than he could have earned elsewhere. It might be the one instance in which Iguodala willingly turned down millions.

It didn’t take long for Iguodala to become the team’s unofficial captain. He was an old head, respected for both contributions on the court and wisdom off it. Teammates consulted him on everything from transition defense to nutrition to investment strategies.

For good measure, Iguodala was voted MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals – Golden State’s first title in 40 years. As the only other member of the exclusive four-ring fraternity as Curry and Green and Thompson, Iguodala has earned the privilege of a statue outside Chase.

Lacob conceded, sort of, as much to NBC Sports Bay Area in January 2021.

“Clearly with the great achievements that the core of Curry and Draymond and Klay and Kevin, for three years, wasn’t as long as those guys, and even Andre Iguodala, I’d say those five guys certainly deserve some sort of ultimate long-term recognition,” Lacob said. “Once they retire, I’m sure they will be appropriately honored.”

Believe it. Lacob, like Dub Nation, knows the Warriors have done something special over the past decade. He also knows who was most responsible for their excellence. Don’t be surprised if the statues have a gold tint.

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