Sometimes you go into an interview expecting one thing, and you come out as if you just took a seminar, suddenly filled with all this new and unexpected knowledge. That’s what it was like with Andre Iguodala at the podium after the Golden State Warriors took their second practice of the 2022-23 season on Monday, excluding Sunday’s Media Day. The team will travel to Japan on Tuesday. The first preseason game is Friday at 3am Pacific, which probably means there will be two practice days (or at least media obligations) for the mostly Far East reporters in Tokyo to indulge themselves in. We’ll obviously go live on the YouTube channel with pre-, in-, and postgame commentary/coverage, per usual.
Iguodala gave us a peek into what it’s like to be an NBA vet on the constant lookout for business opportunities — ironically, as he was speaking, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson splashed buckets as tracks of rapper/mogul and self-proclaimed “Business, Man” Jay-Z blared through Oracle Performance Center downstairs.
You could probably write a little “how-to”handbook from Andre’s interview transcription, see below. Then also he praised head trainer Rick Celebrini plus Donte DiVincenzo and explained his defense of Jonathan Kuminga from Stephen A. Smith’s comments earlier this summer, summoning brief references to Kobe Bryant and “the rookie wall”, and finally adding a thesis that the NBA is churning out shorter careers this era.
Steve Kerr described practice from a player development standpoint, praised DiVincenzo’s fit with the Warriors’ system, and basically wrote Kevon Looney’s Wikipedia page. Meanwhile, Jason Dumas of KRON-TV captured workouts by not only Curry and Thompson but also sessions of Patrick Baldwin, Jr. and fellow “bag” buddies (NBA Finals locker champagne celebration reference!) Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, as team staffer Khalid Robinson pumped Hova’s “Song Cry”, “U Don’t Know/I’m Not To Blame Medley”, “Renegade” and “Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)” through the speakers.
Usually Q&As are covered quite comprehensively on Twitter by all the reporters, but many of them were probably drained from Media Day, so with the lack of tweets for a 20-minute Iguodala podium visit I decided to transcribe most of it; ergo, no disclaimer of the usual aggregation of tweet content needed this time. You’ll notice the timestamps; those are for the YouTube Descriptions. See below underneath the embedded videos.
Finally, a thanks to all of our subscribers on here. Nearly all of the information thumb-typed onto this website remains free, as I haven’t figured out (and quite frankly probably won’t for another season, as I had zero time during the short summer to think about this) what stuff should go behind a paywall. So I appreciate all the “donations” from the paid subs. It really helps!
ANDRE IGUODALA
0:00 • Andre Iguodala on the decision not to retire: “roller-coaster (summer schedule was very busy)…jumped back and forth two times…I was super-busy…I got on the Peloton two times last week and I was like, oh, I ain’t in that bad of shape.” (me, Kate Rooney)
2:19 • On saying on his podcast that he didn’t want to do the Udonis Haslem program: “He actually puts in more work…it’s just that I have another business that I have, up and running…once I’m done, I have to go…at some point I gotta go full time over there.”
3:21 • Iguodala on Rick Celebrini’s assistance: “Had he not mapped out that plan, I wouldn’t have been as comfortable. And it made perfect sense.” That’s “what sealed the deal” in his decision to return. (Shayna Rubin, Dalton Johnson, Kate Rooney)
4:13 • On how to manage your body, which led to talk about the depth/bench: “I remember Draymond said at one practice (early last season, meaning he got off to a strong start before the recurring injuries), ‘Andre Iguodala is picking us apart.’…each time you get (a knee) drained it takes longer to get back…Our second unit is looking a little stronger. That’s not a knock on what we had, but before games we’d say we need Steph to be superman tonight and we don’t have to rely on that as much. He’s still going to be him, but I think that’s going to be a luxury for us.” (me, Shayna Rubin)
6:49 • On getting any texts from Warriors: “Guys we’re exploring the world…Klay had a really good summer. Being on his boat…embracing what we’re all doing, enjoying life. That conversation didn’t come up too much.” (me, 95.7 The Game)
7:46 • On if it’s good for the guys to see both the off-the-court business and basketball side of him: “I took Loon to a software conference…after like an hour he said, ‘I’m going to take a nap…I can’t do all this talking’…most of younger guys just don’t quite get it…I saw Moses Moody at DreamForce…understands how to connect with the community.”
9:06 • On having the energy to do everything: “Something always falls off…putting the right system in place, being efficient with your time…I take notes more than ever…knowing what networking means, it’s not just knowing people and having numbers stored in your phone…you have an agency and are they really providing value because they can help you set that schedule out…from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, there’s not a minute that’s wasted.”
10:04 • On how Steph handles his obligations: “He’s good at taking time off…he’ll really experience the world (not necessarily playing basketball while doing so)…how he was raised…he has a good balance of fame…for guys who have never seen it we think we just gotta get the most of our careers…sell shoes.”
11:15 • On what he’s look forward to this season: “(Andre takes notes on Little Bad Wolf in Chicago after comment from reporter)…production company…in the league they always tell you once it’s over it’s over…using the league…as a trampoline to help that take off…what do NBA players do in Orlando?…I’m 38, I’m not going to Disney World, but how do I make the most of my time in Orlando?…Who’s a businessman that I need to connect with?…JJ Redick’s done a good job in the podcast space…I’m doing it in the tech space…even in San Antonio either Austin being close by…with the creator economy we’re in right now.”
13:21 • On joking about Moody and Kuminga IG story joke: “Just helping them understand how cut-throat the league can be…a trade might happen coming into the fold and now you’re out of the loop…keeping them on their toes because that’s more the reality of the league.”
14:20 • On defending Kuminga in the media: “If that person was that smart he’d just be running the team…the Warriors had a clip of all his dunks last season…a lot of his dunks came off cuts…small things…you hear someone else say he needs to have the ball, he needs to have a higher usage…pick and rolls…shooting threes…these young kids, their careers are shortening…evolution…I had a really good conversation with one of the execs in the league…we gotta raise the bottom of our league…too high of a turnover…it took Kobe Bryant some years to really become Kobe Bryant…we aren’t letting these kids fail. They’re failing and we’re criticizing and just writing them off…we got guys out the league at 21, 22 which is crazy…letting them go through a rookie wall as opposed to he’s not focused because he’s going through a rookie wall.”
16:28 • On what he looks forward to on the court: “I need to score more. I’m actually looking forward to that…like Donte, I’ve been taking to him…he’s really good…I have this funny thing with white players…one of the white guys that actually, like, you belong me, like a high level…the year they won the championship, I think he led the team in minutes. No one knows that…that’s what I’m talking about with Moses and Jonathan Kuminga…confidence can just throw you off a little bit (DiVincenzo’s injury)…here’s a place where he can kinda re-establish himself…Jeff Green…JaVale McGee went through it…the perception gets the best of those guys…I’m gonna feed him purpose (Donte).”
18:27 • On if any part of this year is playing for the love of the game: “the last couple years…I really just play for the joy of the game. I’ve had some big shots in my career and I think that’s the result of having that mindset…if I miss then what are you really gonna say to me? We’re all really good at basketball…most guys are afraid of the moment because they’re afraid of the backlash and that’s the worst way to operate. You put in the work and it’s gonna pay off when you get out there.”
STEVE KERR
0:00 • Steve Kerr on having Andre Iguodala back: “It just makes my job so much easier…and he loves working with the younger guys…he knows exactly where he needs to be…he makes every lineup click…really crucial part of our whole program.” (CJ Holmes)
0:48 • On what he’s seen from the other guys: “I’m really thrilled with James’ progress. He feels great. Looks great. The knee is fine. Also, mentally he’s picking up concepts much quicker.”
1:57 • On minutes distribution for Japan: “Not yet.”
2:10 • On the biggest challenges of starting the season in Japan: “Normally we would have about six practices before our first game…the flight obviously not ideal…we know the bigger picture in this, growing the game…good chance for us to bond as a team…see a beautiful country…it’s all mostly positive.”
3:07 • On how much jet lag will slow the process: “I think we’ll be okay…when we get back we’ve got a couple of weeks.”
3:43 • On expectations on-court in Japan: “I know what I’m gonna get from the older guys, there’s a flow and a continuity that was there on the first day of practice…get on the same page on both ends (for the younger guys)…defense needs to be organized and our offense has to have spacing and rhythm.”
4:32 • On if the young guys from last season have elements of organization, spacing, rhythm: “too early to really see that…biggest aspect of being with the team now (for another season)…there’s a much better comfort level.”
5:27 • On Andre praising second unit: “We’ll see. I thought last year’s second unit was pretty special…Otto and Gary…Beli…I like the talent level (Moody, JK, Jordan)…but the ability has to be matched by knowledge…for us as a staff we have to figure out what the combinations are…you always include a couple starters in that second group.”
6:30 • On Andre’s praise of Donte DiVincenzo: “Donte fits right in with the way we play…Thrilled to have Donte. I think he could make a big impact on our team this year.” (95.7 The Game)
7:10 • On Looney’s career: “The growth is the main thing…we didn’t pickup his option…perseverance and professionalism and maturity…every morning I come into my office, I look down and Loon’s doing yoga in the corner of the gym by himself…he’s had to change his diet…learned how to play (from and with Draymond, Andre, Steph and Klay).”
8:34 • On being astonished by Looney’s play in the playoffs: “Yeah. He became an elite rebounder…his finishing around the rim…a couple years ago there were a whole lot of pump fakes and now he’s figured out how to sneak that lay-in into the hoop before the defense can get there…using his body to shield the shot-blocker…what he means to the team now is pretty dramatic, the screen-setting, the ball-handling, all the DHOs he runs…crucial player for us.”
9:33 • On how much teaching there is for the new guys: “That’s what training camp is about. We do station work where they’re going from one basket to the next where they’re doing a certain drill…these next ten days or so, the first couple weeks of the season are the most intensive practices that we have and the most important practices that we have all year.”
10:24 • On if that’s unusual for a team coming off the Finals: “Yeah. Yeah, for sure because those other teams had much more set rotations. Maybe we had a player or two coming in fighting for a rotation spot.”
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