Wednesday 26 June 2019 07:40, UK
Andre Iguodala has revealed that the Golden State Warriors misinformed the media over an injury he suffered during the 2018 NBA playoffs.
The 35-year-old said that he missed games during the Warriors' Western Conference Finals series against the Houston Rockets due to a fractured leg, despite the team claiming it was a bone bruise.
Iguodala made the comments on Tuesday while discussing Kevin Durant's injury situation in Golden State's playoff run this year. Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals after he returned from a calf injury.
The three-time champion's comments about his 2018 injury could renew questions about Golden State's medical staff and procedures.
"Our training staff is one of the best in the world. And I feel like they got (Durant) back. The tough thing is, when you're an athlete and you're hurt, everybody is looking at you sideways," Iguodala told The Breakfast Club radio show
"Last year, it happened to me. I missed the last three games of the Houston series. It goes to Game 7. We barely get out of that series. And now they're looking at me like, 'When are you coming back?' And I had a fractured leg. But it's being put out there like, 'You've got a bone bruise.' 'Nah, it's fractured.'
"So, I'm fighting with the team. I'm fighting with people. I'm fighting with the media. And then my teammates ask me every day, 'How you feeling? How you feeling?'"
In 2018, Iguodala missed the final four games of the series against Houston, as well as the first two game of the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"So, with K, he's getting it from everywhere, too. ... Not just from the team, but from family and people close to him," Iguodala said.
"What do they always say in sports? 'Oh, he's a tough guy. He plays through injuries.' You're validated as an athlete if you win a championship or how tough you were. If you sit out, it's like, 'Ah, he's not tough.'"
