"I WANT IGUODALA" - Warriors fans rejoice at franchise legend's jersey retirement in Klay Thompson's presence

Andre Iguodala was one of the key contributors to the Golden State Warriors' success, earning NBA Finals MVP honors in 2015, the first of his four championships with the team. He was the senior figure to the young core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, leading to him being widely recognized as one of the league's most respected veterans.

Naturally, many in the Bay Area expected his jersey to be retired for his contributions to Golden State since he announced his retirement in 2023. And on Tuesday, the team announced that Iguodala's No. 9 will be the seventh jersey hanging from the rafters at the Chase Center and that the ceremony will take place on Feb. 23 after the Warriors host the Dallas Mavericks.

It appears that the decision was made to ensure a reunion of the core four – Curry, Thompson (now with Dallas), Green and Iguodala – for what is bound to be a day that marks the success the four shared on the court.

The announcement and the added joy of former fan favorite Thompson being in attendance has prompted a frenzy of excited reactions from Warriors fans online. References to the famous Max Kellerman take on wanting Iguodala to make a shot with the fate of the universe on the line have been aplenty. too.

Here are some of the most interesting responses to the announcement of Iguodala's jersey retirement.

"Made me happy made me smile," a fan reacted.

"#30, #11, #23 and #35 will be retired obviously, but happy they are doing the same with #9," a fan praised Golden State for recognizing the role Iguodala played in its success despite never being an All-Star with the team.

References to TV analyst Max Kellerman's iconic hot take, however, took up a huge chunk of the reactions.

"I WANT IGUODALA," many wrote.

Iguodala, however, spent eight years with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he had his only All-Star nod (2011-12), to begin his career. This has prompted some fans to pose the question of whether the Warriors could have retired his jersey when they host the Sixers.

The Warriors faithful have had a mixed bag of a season, with the team starting the season 12-3 before middling back to play-in status at 22-23 entering Tuesday's game against the Utah Jazz. They can hope that the hype built by Iggy's jersey retirement and the reunion of their core four at the Chase Center livens the mood up and leads to a playoff push.

The Warriors have retired six jerseys, including Wilt Chamberlain's and Chris Mullin's

Andre Iguodala's No. 9 shall join the rafters with some illustrious company at the home of the Golden State Warriors. The team has had some historic names don their colors, and to be part of the list takes Iguodala to basketball immortality.

Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Tom Meschery (No. 14), Alvin Attles (No. 16), Chris Mullin (No. 17), Rick Barry (No. 24) and Nate Thurmond (No. 42) all have jerseys adorning the rafters at Chase Center.

Iguodala becomes the first of the Warriors' only dynastic roster to feature. Stephen Curry's No. 30, Klay Thompson's No. 11, Draymond Green's No. 23 and Kevin Durant's No. 35 are shoo-ins to join the list.

First five players to have their jerseys retired since the Warriors moved to the Chase Center? - Source: Getty

Iguodala has responded to the announcement of his jersey retirement by saying that he just happened to have the benefit of being the oldest out of the players who comprised the dynastic core.

"I'm just the oldest. Mark Jackson's favorite line was: 'Father Time was undefeated.' It worked to my benefit this time in terms of being the first one," the swingman remarked while paying respect to the coach who laid the foundations for Steve Kerr to run toward victory.

It's rare to see a one-time All-Star having his jersey retired, but it only speaks volumes about Iguodala and his contributions on and off the court to Golden State. It's highly unlikely to see any protests from fans to the decision as they commence the countdown to a celebratory night in February at the Chase Center.