Sports Illustrated Feature On 76ers, Andre Iguodala

Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated recently wrote a feature on the Sixers and Andre Iguodala, packed with phenomenal quotes from Dre. I highly recommend reading the article in its entirety, but I'm going to hit on a few quotes that caught my attention.

Iguodala grew up in Springfield, Ill., at the height of the Bulls dynasty, and patterned himself after Scottie Pippen. He was not the leading scorer at Lanphier High, where he deferred to a gunner named Richard McBride, or at Arizona, where he averaged 12.9 points and set up sniper Salim Stoudamire. "He likes being the guy who does everything else," says Lawrence Thomas, a coach in Springfield who has worked with Iguodala since ninth grade.

A simple Google search informs me that Rich McBride is now a high school coach. Check out an excerpt from this article about him.

The south doors swing open, and at 6-foot-3, the day's star rolls into the room with a swagger. Heads turn.

"There's McBride," a reporter says, nudging another.

With warmup sweats on, Rich McBride is an hour away from taking the court. Followed by an entourage of two coaches and a group of teen boys who all seem to be wearing baggy jeans and white earbuds, McBride heads to the locker room with the crowd's whispers at his back.

Someone on the floor greets him, calling him "King."

He's used to the attention.

If I hadn't known, I'd think that was written by WIBR.

More after the jump.

The Sixers drafted him ninth in 2004 as a sidekick for scoring champ Allen Iverson, and when he talks about those freestyling days he sounds like a backup singer who once toured with the Rolling Stones. "It was so fun," Iguodala says. "He'd crack jokes on the plane, draw cartoons, take you to dinner and score 50. I'd laugh, catch some lobs and watch him score 50 again. Ninety percent of the time, there were no problems."

Livin' the dream!

"In Philly, it's not about who you are, it's about what you do for us," Iguodala says. "You could be the worst person in the world, but if you score a lot of points or win a championship, you can murder somebody."

...

"I learned from being a go-to guy what I didn't like," Iguodala says. "Coaches tell you, 'Get to the hole. Don't settle for jump shots.' So when I guard somebody, I want them to settle for jumpers-outside the paint but inside the three-point line-and then use my length to contest late." Iguodala memorizes where opponents hold the ball before they raise it up.

Proof that Iguodala knows long twos are bad!

"It makes no sense to me why so many good scorers can't defend," Iguodala says. "Like Lou Williams. He's one of the toughest guys to guard in the league, but he can't guard anybody. I don't get that."

Saved the best for last. My favorite quote ever.

Give the article a read!