Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston During Their Illinois High School Days
Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala have been playing against each other since they were kids.
Iguodala attended high school at Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois. As a senior in 2002, Iguodala led Lanphier’s basketball team to a runner-up finish at the Illinois High School Association Class AA state tournament. That season, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year as well as a second team Parade All-American and Nike All-American. Iguodala was also a finalist for the Illinois Mr. Basketball award, which was awarded to Dee Brown. His Lanphier jersey is now retired.
Livingston played competitive basketball in high school at Richwoods High School for two years and then transferred to Peoria Central High School, where he led his team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004 against Iguodala’s team. He was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2004. (via wikipedia.org)
Andre Iguodala said:
“It’s pretty amazing, especially where we come from. There’s a lot of talent and there’s a lot of great ballplayers and a lot of guys who could be in our situation but could never get out. They got stuck kind of in that trap of where we’re from. To be the two guys who actually made it out, although there were a few that were better than us or had equal opportunities, it’s a blessing.”
Shaun Livingston:
“These are our hoop dreams. We both feel it. We’re both from the same place. We grew up with guys and it was all our dreams to play in the NBA. And we happened to be the two kids who came out and had a chance to make it and made it. To be here, it’s like we’re representing our respective cities, our respective groups of people and old teammates that we played with, people that follow us, people that grinded with us when we were younger.”
Because Livingston’s team beat Iguodala’s, with Shaun being a sophomore at Peoria Central and Iguodala being a senior, he holds the braggin rights.
“I don’t always bring it up, but I hold that as bragging rights.”
Over a decade later, the two finally became team-mates, winning the NBA title in their first year playing together, with the second one possibly coming soon.
