The Golden State Warriors have six (seven, if you add Bill Russell’s) jerseys in the rafters. They could nearly double that several years from now, as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala are all candidates to have their numbers retired.
Jayson Tatum believes that should be the case after seeing a question on X (formerly Twitter) if Golden State should retire No. 35.
Concurring with KD
Durant brought up the topic recently after saying that he deserves to see his jersey raised in the rafters, even though he represented the Dubs for only three years. Even so, he did deliver two titles to the Bay Area, winning the Finals MVP in both instances.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has already promised that no one else will wear No. 35 as long as he is at the organization’s helm. But what if another group takes over the ownership? Will it still honor KD’s wishes? For Boston Celtics superstar Tatum, there’s “no question” about it.
Iguodala could be the first among the “Hamptons Five” to experience a jersey retirement ceremony after announcing his decision to hang his shoes earlier this month.
If Durant’s number is a candidate to be retired, the 39-year-old should definitely be in the running, too. After all, he spent eight seasons with the Dubs, securing twice as many rings as his former teammate has. Iguodala was also essential to the Warriors’ revolutionary “Death Lineup,” thanks to his versatility on offense and defense.
Appreciating the Big 3
Among the five, Curry, Green, and Thompson are all but assured of receiving the honor from the franchise no matter how the rest of their GSW tenures play out. All of them are homegrown players and are the foundational pieces of the Warriors dynasty that has taken the league by storm in the past decade.
Only time will tell if they end up spending the rest of their careers together in Golden State. That scenario has been put in jeopardy recently, with Klay and the organization reportedly not seeing eye to eye on a possible contract extension.
Lacob has the opportunity to show how much he values his past and current stars if his guess of the contract talks working itself out in the end comes to fruition.
Kevin Durant demands his jersey to be retired by the Thunder and the Warriors: “If they don’t, then it’s personal.”
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