As an 18-year NBA veteran, Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala has seen greatness first-hand. Over the years, he has played against (and alongside) some of the greatest players in league history, including Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
So when Iggy made a statement about Rasheed Wallace being better than Giannis Antetokounmpo if he played today, it was more than enough to raise some eyebrows within the NBA community.
“Rasheed Wallace probably could have been top five player in the league for a 10-year stretch,” he said. “He just chose, ‘I’ll do my thing over here.’ He was shooting 3s from half court. No, he was shooting half-court shots left-handed and right-handed. If Rasheed Wallace played in modern-day basketball today, if he played in our league today, he’d be the top five player in the league. He’d be better than Giannis, and I love Giannis.”
The fallout has been swift and loud for Iguodala, who is finding haters and critics from all sides as a result of his controversial words.
But instead of walking back on his take, Andre only doubled down when asked to clarify his opinion.
“Appreciate the responses and respecting my takes to the point that we’ve made it on TMZ on a sports debate….. The take is not a knock but a testament to how great Giannis is! That’s how good Sheed was!!!…”
3 things for you all! 1. Appreciate the responses and respecting my takes to the point that we’ve made it on TMZ on a sports debate…..
— andre (@andre) July 13, 2022
To even compare Giannis with Wallace is a stretch. Wallace played a more traditional game for the Pistons and Blazers, averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for his career. He retired as a 4x All-Star and 1x champion.
Still, even with all of the accolades, Giannis seems to be at another level.
Perhaps it’s time to reassess how we are remembering Rasheed Wallace and consider what kind of career he could have had if he was active in modern times. We will never know for sure, but Andre Iguodala is convinced the guy would dominate today’s game.
