Fraser, Iguodala and Kerr Push UA NBA Ring Count to 26
Head coach Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors won their third NBA Championship in four years with a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Head coach Steve Kerr ’87, assistant coach Bruce Fraser ’88 and guard Andre Iguodala earned NBA championships Nos. 24, 25 and 26 in Arizona Basketball history. It was the third championship ring each for Fraser and Iguodala and the eighth for Kerr (three as a head coach and five as a player).
The title validates Iguodala’s decision to give up his position as “The Man” on a bad Philadelphia 76ers team to become just one of many moving parts in the Golden State championship machine. His defensive tenacity earned him NBA Finals MVP honors in 2015, and his value to this year’s star-studded lineup was evident when the Warriors struggled through a nail-biting, seven-game series against Houston without Iguodala in the lineup and then, upon his return, swept through the Finals in four.
Fraser is best known to Wildcat fans as the original Gumby, a name he later shared with the rest of the subs on Arizona’s first Final Four team in 1988. He earned his NBA bona fides for his work with two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash in Phoenix.
For his part, Kerr (who, as a player, was part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s) skillfully juggled the egos and melded the considerable talents of his players to complete the latest installment for Golden State’s emerging hoop dynasty. After excelling as a player, announcer, general manager and now coach, his star continues to rise.