Friday 22 August 2014

Andre Iguodala Real talk, for many years, I didn’t know what kind of name Iguodala was, but I know Nigerian is not what crossed my mind, whatsoever. The huge (6 ft. 6) small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers has a father of Nigerian and mother of African American background. If you’re feeling the brotha, you’ll be happy to know that he is single! But uh, just a heads up, he has two kids from his previous marriage. Dang! At 27? This guy works pretty fast…

 




Iguodala was born in Springfield, Illinois.His father is Nigerian and his mother is of African American descent (Linda Shanklin). His older brother, Frank, played for Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois and the University of Dayton. Growing up, Iguodala rooted for Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway and the Seattle SuperSonics.


Andre Tyler Iguodala (born January 28, 1984) is a professional basketball swingman for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After attending Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois, Iguodala enrolled at the University of Arizona. After completing two years, he entered the 2004 NBA Draft where he was drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala played in Philadelphia until the summer of 2012, when he was traded to Denver in a four team trade involving Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. He was acquired by Golden State in 2013.
Iguodala was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. He was also selected for the United States men's basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal both times

Iguodala attended high school at Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois, a school that had produced other athletes, most notably baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and basketball guard Kevin Gamble. At Lanphier, he did well academically and athletically; he gained All-Conference academic honors, became a member of the National Honor Roll, and was a State Journal Student-Athlete of the Week several times. He led the team as a senior to a runner-up finish at the Illinois High School Association Class AA state tournament in the 2002 season. That season, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year as well as a second team Parade All-American and Nike All-American. Iguodala was also one of the leading candidates for the Illinois Mr. Basketball award. Iguodala's jersey is retired at Lanphier High School.
During the summer of 2000, he grabbed the attention of coaches around the nation as he was named the AAU national tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting the game-winning shot at the final buzzer to give his team the 17-and-under national title. Iguodala played in the 2002 Jordan Brand Classic in Washington DC. In 22 minutes of play, Iguodala put up six points on 3–6 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Aside from basketball, Iguodala gained three letters in track. Iguodala played AAU basketball under Larry Butler and the Illinois Warriors, the team that has featured other professional players such as Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, and Jon Scheyer
Iguodala initially signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Arkansas. He had narrowed down his list of desired schools to two:Kansas or Arkansas. Iguodala was enticed by Arkansas due to the fact that they played in the 1–3 system, which would allow Iguodala to run the point occasionally. Iguodala visited the Arkansas campus and was impressed by their large gymnasium and the amount of fans at a practice while he visited with his mother and father. However, after their coach, Nolan Richardson, was fired that year (2002), Iguodala decided to attend the University of Arizona instead to play for the Wildcats. At Arizona he joined future NBA players Channing Frye, Luke Walton, Mustafa Shakur, Salim Stoudamire and Hassan Adams. One of the determining factors for Iguodala was the commitment of Hassan Adams, whom Iguodala had played with in the Jordan Brand Classic in high school. Many colleges regarded Iguodala as a track star turned basketball player but teammate Luke Walton said, "He is going to be one of the best players to ever come out of Arizona by the time he is done here." He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshmen team for 2002–03. In his freshman year he quickly established himself as one of the best all-around players on the team, ranking in the top 5 for his team in just about every major category. In the 2003–2004 season, Iguodala was named team MVP after leading his team in rebounds, assists and steals. He also made the All-Pac-10 First Team team and was named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press. He collected three triple-doubles that season, joining Jason Kidd as the only two players in Pac-10 history to post two or more triple-doubles in a season. During his career at Arizona, the Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament every year. In his freshman year the Wildcats were defeated in the Elite Eight by the University of Kansas. In his sophomore year Arizona was defeated in the first round by Seton Hall University. After posting career totals of 594 points (9.6 ppg), 409 rebounds (6.6 rpg) and 95 steals (1.53 spg) in 62 games (34 starts) he left to enter the NBA draft. At Arizona, Iguodala planned to major in education.
Following his sophomore season, Iguodala contacted agent Rob Pelinka, who has represented NBA All-Stars such as Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Gerald Wallace. Iguodala signed with Pelinka, and Pelinka remains Iguodala's agent.
Courtesy wikipedia

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