The Miami Heat weren’t participants in this year’s NBA Finals, but they did have representation, sort of. Four-time NBA Champion and former Miami Heat NBA Finalist, Andre Iguodala, was a member of another Golden State Warriors championship.
Though it would have been better had it occurred for the team in South Florida, you are absolutely overjoyed for the man that has affectionately come to be known as “Eagle Dolla”. After winning their title though, the former Heat guy and his current teammate who are both hosts of their own podcasts, Draymond Green being the second in the duo of media mavens, took to the airwaves.
Some words for @KendrickPerkins from the New Media pic.twitter.com/G1fMcb6e4k
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 17, 2022
While everyone had a ton to say, especially Green when it came to Kendrick Perkins, there were some other interesting nuggets to take away from all of the chatter that has happened since the Warriors captured their latest title on Thursday.
Here is something of note from Andre Iguodala, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
The Miami Heat didn’t play in the NBA Finals, but their ‘Culture’ was there. Andre Iguodala noted how that help him play his role this year for Golden State.
"From The Draymond Green Show, four-time NBA champion @andretalks Heat: “Me going to Miami and experiencing the Miami Heat culture, that really helped me come back and accept the role I had. … I knew I could still be impactful.”"
Iggy gets it. Being a valuable member of a team in a meaningful role doesn’t always look the same.
He wasn’t a big minutes player in Miami, averaging around 20 minutes per game in both his seasons with the team, however, what he did do was make an impact. That’s exactly what he said in the above quote, he still knew he could and how to “be impactful”.
Former Miami Heat head coach, Stan Van Gundy, replied to Reynolds’ tweet of the quote. Here is what SVG had to say.
There were no lies told by Van Gundy here. At this point and though Iggy can still give you a little bit more than UD can on the court at a more consistent rate, though both can still be impactful in spurts, he is Golden State’s version of Haslem.
You need somebody who has seen it all and been through it all. You need somebody around who knows what it feels like to experience great sucess and great failure.
You need somebody around who isn’t afraid to tell other players what needs to be heard but has the clout on the court to back it up. That’s what Iggy and UD are.
It’s also not unsafe to say that Iguodala became a better version of that by being among the Miami Heat Culture and around a guy like Udonis Haslem as well. Again, the Miami Heat didn’t win the title, heck, they didn’t even compete in the NBA Finals.
But, to see the impact that the Culture had on a champion, well—you just love to see it.