Andre Iguodala 's 2015 Finals MVP trophy has once again become a topic of conversation, this time due to a comment made by Tracy McGrady.
"The MVP of the regular season has more weight than a championship," said McGrady on Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady podcast.
This comment was not taken lightly by Iman Shumpert , who has an NBA championship to his name, winning it with the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of their 2016 team.
Shumpert was also part of the Cavaliers team that went to the NBA Finals in 2015.
It was there that Iguodala showed the world his brilliance and brought the Golden State Warriors back from 2-1 down to win the championship.
Iguodala came off the bench for the entire season, but was brought on as a starter down 2-1 in the Finals.
He then made big shots and defended LeBron James for the remainder of the series to help the Warriors, while Steph Curry continued doing his role of scoring well.
Shumpert, who was part of the series, saw firsthand how impactful Iguodala was and shared why his honour is greater than winning any other regular-season honour.
"Andre Iguodala's MVP will be remembered over James Harden 's MVP," said Shumpert on Gils Arena.
Gilbert Arenas pushed back on Shumpert's point by adding that the Top 75 list invalidated his point, but the former Cavaliers player was not in agreement about how much importance the list carried.
"Dame is in it, he top 75 he ain't won sh*t. I love Dame to death but he ain't won sh*t," he added.
Iguodala won the Finals MVP, averaging 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.0 APG. Now, these are not numbers a Finals MVP averages, but Iguodala's changed role mid-series and how the Warriors turned things around from that point is why the award went to him.
"I saw him at the postgame party in Cleveland, went up and said, 'Congrats, MVP, you were incredible, what a job. And you're going back to the bench next year,'" Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday. "And he laughed. And I laughed. Obviously kind of a joke."
Iguodala went on to win three more championships with the Warriors.
He finished his career as a one-time All-Star and two All-Defense selections. Even this may not sound very flashy compared to James Harden, but the reality is that Iguodala played a completely different role and aced it for the Warriors.
With Curry, Klay Thompson , and Draymond Green as their core three, Iguodala had to play a role as part of the supporting cast, but he did that in the best way possible, which is what made him a championship player.
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