It took eight long years of ridicule and praise but Andre Iguodala has been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. This marks the first time the Sixers are represented in the All-Star Game since 2006 when Allen Iverson was selected in 2006, but Iverson was then a Denver Nugget because of the December trade that sent him to the Nuggets along with Ivan McFarlin for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round picks in the 2007 draft which led most notably to Thad Young being drafted along with a European that failed to make an impact at the professional level.It was a question whether the Sixers were going to have a representative in this years festivities (held in Orlando) but leading the Atlantic Division with an 18-8 record helped Iguodala's cause. The 6 foot 6 inch small forward was drafted by the Sixers in the 2004 draft with the number nine overall pick after his sophomore year at Arizona.
When Iverson was shipped away, Dre was expected to be the next franchise player but being just an offensive scorer doesn't benefit to what Iggy does best and Iguodala has taken some heat for that over the years. Along with the fact that after averaging 19.9 PPG during the 2007-2008 season, Iguodala was given an $85 million dollar contract. A bit too much? Maybe, but what people don't realize is that Andre Iguodala guards the oppositions best players every single night, and doesn't get enough credit for that.
Putting that aside, Iguodala has molded into one of the best all-around players in the game during his career and is one of the best dunkers of the decade. Number 9 just recently was named one of twenty finalists to compete for the United States Basketball Team during this years Summer Olympics in London. Because he is an unselfish player who can score, dish the rock, defend very well and rebound the basketball, his chances of representing the U.S on the final roster are high. The 28 year old is averaging 13 PPG, 5 assists, 1.8 steals and just under 7 rebounds a night. The only other player in the NBA to average those numbers in all four categories is LeBron James...(Pretty damn impressive). Iggy's reaction on Twitter to being named as an All-Star below:
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