Andre Iguodala’s son made him a sculpture of the NBA championship trophy for Father’s Day
It’s been one heck of a week for Andre Iguodala. He played some of the best basketball of his pro career to help propel the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship in 40 years, serving as the Dubs’ primary defender on Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James while also chipping in 16.3 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting. Iguodala’s two-way excellence throughout the six-game victory earned him recognition as one of the league’s most skilled and versatile talents; it also earned him the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, handed to him after Game 6 by the great Bill Russell.
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After receiving arguably the two most significant awards of his basketball-playing life — the gold medal he won as a member of Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics merits consideration there, of course — it seemed tough to envision Iguodala hoisting a greater trophy any time soon. But then Father’s Day rolled around.
“This kid is amazing,” Iguodala wrote in the caption of his Instagram photo. “Although I don’t celebrate many holidays, he sculpted this Larry O’Brien Championship trophy back in April in art class. Saved it until Father’s Day to give to me. This might be my new favorite trophy.”
That was some pretty impressive foresight by Andre Jr., whose post-Finals analysis of his dad’s performance was nearly as as sharp as his artwork:
Aw, c’mon, Andre Jr. Give your dad a break on the free throws. Sure, he made just six of 21 freebies combined in Games 5 and 6, but he’s hit them when it counted at times in the past … and one time, he even gave you the credit!
“On the free throws, Tony Battie gave me some advice,” Iguodala said. “He said, ‘Think of something that you love when you’re shooting free throws,’ because I’ve been struggling all year. I thought of my son, and it was easy after that.”
While the Finals MVP and his son shared a special award celebration on Father’s Day, league MVP Stephen Curry, All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson and their fathers, former NBA players Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson, had a nice chat with ESPN’s Marc Stein about what it’s like to watch your child reach the top of the mountain … a chat that, you will be shocked to learn, featured a brief appearance by Steph’s daughter, postseason MVP Riley Curry:
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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