this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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For nearly two decades, Andre Iguodala established a reputation as one of the N.B.A.’s most versatile players, an All-Star and Olympic gold medalist who racked up four championships with the Golden State Warriors.

Now, Iguodala has told DealBook exclusively that he is retiring from pro basketball to focus on his other career: start-up investor. He will run Mosaic, a $200 million venture capital fund that he just raised with his longtime business partner, Rudy Cline-Thomas.

Iguodala’s disclosure ends years of speculation. The 39-year-old had suggested that last year’s season would be his last, only to shoot down rumors about it earlier this year. But now is the time to hang up his sneakers. “It’s been a blessing to play for that long,” he told DealBook. (He hasn’t fully come to grips with it yet: “I don’t know if it’s actually hit me yet,” he said.)

He’s embracing his next act. Though he and Cline-Thomas had begun buying tech stocks in 2010, the two dived deeply into start-ups when he joined the Warriors in 2013. “When I initially went out to the Bay Area, it was my intent to have success on and off the court,” Iguodala said. “I thought about how to get access.”

That led to meetings with venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz, and then to taking stakes in start-ups, including Zoom and the cybersecurity provider Cloudflare.

It is a model now followed by many pro athletes, from the N.F.L.’s Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers to Iguodala’s longtime Warriors teammate Steph Curry. “Athletes are becoming smarter and smarter,” Iguodala said, asserting that their competitiveness and an ability to speak to audiences help to sell and scale products.

Mosaic is now his focus. The firm will home in on seed- and early-stage investments in enterprise software, fintech health care and sports companies. Iguodala and Cline-Thomas closed Mosaic’s first fund — whose investors included endowments, institutions and founders of companies they have already backed — in May.

Mosaic’s investments include Vessel, a builder of modular multifamily homes, and Athletes First, an N.F.L. talent agency and management firm.

Sports franchise ownership is another focus. Iguodala is a co-owner of Leeds United, an English soccer club; Bay Area F.C., the National Women’s Soccer League team; and, along with former teammates Curry and Klay Thompson, the San Francisco branch of TGL, the upstart golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Iguodala’s highest aspiration? Owning an N.B.A. team. “The timing has to be right,” he said, but “that’s definitely the ultimate goal.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/20/business/dealbook/middle-east-israel-economy.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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[–] Rayquaza2233@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I always forget how big the "ownership" group of Leeds is now with all the minority investors that went in with the 49ers.

[–] milkonyourmustache@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

His post-career will be incredibly successful, thanks for the memories.

[–] lopea182@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Iguodala is going to test the boundaries for who qualifies as a Basketball Hall of Fame player.

[–] GregEgg4President@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Ben Wallace did this. Dennis Rodman before him. Tim Hardaway until recently. Chauncey Billups is already doing this. Derrick Rose will do it after Iguodala.

The threshold for the HOF is constantly being nudged one way or another.

[–] lopea182@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (21 children)

While none of the names you mentioned are HOF shoe-ins, they are all much more accomplished in terms of individual accolades than Iggy:

  • Wallace: 4x DPOY, 6x All NBA, 6x All Defense, 2x Rebounds Leader, 1x Blocks Leader

  • Rodman: 8x All Defense, 2x All NBA, 2x All Star, 2x DPOY, 7x Rebounding Champion

  • Hardaway: 5x All Star, 5x All NBA

  • Billups: 5x All Star, 3x All NBA, 2x All Defense, FMVP

  • Rose: MVP, 3x All Star, 1x All NBA, Rookie of the Year

.

.

.

  • Iguodala: FMVP, 1x All Star, 2x All Defense
[–] barath_s@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

shoe-ins -> shoo in

Open the barn door and shoo the chickens in

https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/pardon-the-expression/shoo-in-vs-shoe-in/

[–] Coke_ButNotTheDrug@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (4 children)

That FMVP is probably gonna be weighted a lot more than it realistically should.

[–] DontBanMe_IWasJoking@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

yea crazy you get in the HOF for playing 7 games well, and frankly, not even that great

[–] lukeM22@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (11 children)

he held Lebron to 40 point triple doubles

[–] PleaseSeekChrist@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

When he could have went for 80

[–] here_for_the_techno@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Such a funny and clever joke that totally hasn't been used many times before on r/nba.

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[–] Crunc_Mcfincle@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

A FMVP that he really shouldn’t have too

[–] RandyGrey@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

By people who dismiss Rose's regular season MVP as an outlier

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[–] Mr_Unbiased@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Andre Iguodala doesn't get enough credit for the 2013 Nuggets season.

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[–] CleverBunnyThief@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

What about Klay and Drey?

[–] Crunc_Mcfincle@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I don’t see how Rodman could start that many debates honestly, he’s undoubtedly HOF in my book

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[–] Islendarr@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Rose shouldnt even be in the league

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[–] schuuin@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Curry getting pwned by Dellavedova so thoroughly that a an elderly pine-rider gets the Finals MVP instead should really discredit him.

[–] Alternative-Target31@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] CleverBunnyThief@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

That's embarrassing.

No disrespect to Andre. Not a bad player but he is not in any way shape or form a hall candidate.

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[–] gd2121@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

If Mitch Richmond and Bernard King make it, Iggy is a lock.

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[–] ShowerMartini@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Good riddance. Dude is 5% more sane than Kyrie.

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[–] SpartanDawg18@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (4 children)

People will jump to debate if his career is HoF worthy, but should just appreciate that he was an important player who was fun to watch. Congrats to him on a good career (assuming the retirement sticks)

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[–] MC-Jdf@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (4 children)
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[–] TheReal_Slim-Shady@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

People remember Iguodala as one of the sidekicks in Warriors but his career was a hell of a ride. I still remember how he got robbed of a Dunk Contest title. He was Aaron Gordon before Aaron Gordon.

[–] acqu@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)
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[–] ghoney04@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

He just retired dawg. You can at least wait a year for these reddit points

[–] TheReal_Slim-Shady@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Screw reddit points. That's how I remember Andre Iguodala.

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[–] LameTrolla@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (5 children)

If I'm starting a business, I WANT IGUODALA

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[–] Saaammmy@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Wonder if he'll get his jersey retired by GSW🤔

[–] smexeh@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (5 children)

Man has 4 rings but will be remembered for "I want Iguodala"

[–] Lone_Wanderer97@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I'll always remember "These mfkrs is crazy!" talking about his hands after stripping Dame to end the game.

[–] DEEZLE13@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)
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[–] Smellmyhand@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

He finna be so obnoxious on everyone’s pod now

[–] CaciqueBoss@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I want iguodala!

[–] Kheltosh@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Played for way too long, is a religious nut, gets high on his own shit like Kyrie, showed that he's a prima donna at Memphis and possibly the most undeserving FMVP of all time.

He should have retired when people still thought of him as failed Iverson replacement dunk guy turned good role player on a championship team.

[–] Nardwuarr@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

It's insane how long he stuck around given it felt like during those GSW days he was losing steam. Goes to show his locker room presence.

[–] Ok_Motor_4298@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I don't think investing tons of money you have, in startup that other rich people invest tons of money in, is called being smart. It's more so the other players not being so smart.

[–] Zoulogist@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

This is the perfect time for aliens to point their death beam at earth

[–] ghoney04@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago
[–] RealPrinceJay@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

One of the most interesting HoF debates out there

He has the accolades for sure - All-Star, 2x All-Defense, 4x Champ, Finals MVP, Olympic Gold, World Championship Gold

[–] rajs1286@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I will die on the hill that he deserved that FMVP

[–] RedstoneRay@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

I liked him in Abbott Elementary.

[–] ThaNotoriousBLT@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It always pains me that the Raptors drafted Rafael fukcing Araujo one spot ahead of Iguodala.

One guy is a center that lost a jump ball to 5' 9" Nate Robinson. The other would have slotted nicely next to Vince Carter.

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[–] Misterstaberinde@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

Grizz legend

[–] Diggity_Dave@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

GROUP ECONOMICS

[–] Dense-Farm@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

FATE OF THE WORLD ON THE LINE...

[–] etlecomtedeblaine@alien.top 1 points 2 years ago

He had an amazing career that one could only dream of. Congrats to him and hope he enjoys retirement.

Also, who writes the NBA as the "N.B.A."? Lmao

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