In basketball circles, people often talk about the players and teams that changed or revolutionized the game of basketball. Stephen Curry and Wilt Chamberlain are names that pop up a lot. Mike D’Antoni and the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns are also frequently mentioned.
However, there are big names who don’t always make the mainstream list. Four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala, for instance, feels that LeBron James and the Miami Heat have also changed the game, but they aren’t brought up as much.
On the “Old Man & The Three” podcast, Iguodala revealed to JJ Redick and Evan Turner how LeBron James and the Heat revolutionized the game of basketball as it’s played today. He highlighted the small ball brand of basketball and how the LeBron-led Heat adopted this style after their 2011 defeat to the Mavericks.
“You know who switched it and nobody’s talking about it? I only know ‘cause I played there and I heard some things and I was like, ‘Huh?’—the Miami Heat,” Iguodala said. “‘Cause when Bron got there… Bron does well with shooters or guys driving to the basket. He doesn’t do well with midrange guys. Either you’re a stretch or at the basket for a lob.”
“Then, when he played in Miami and they lost to Dallas, they made subtle tweaks,” he continued. “It’s interesting. You start seeing where Chris Bosh would be at the 5. It didn’t look small because LeBron got the ball… They tweaked it against San Antonio. I think that’s when you started seeing smaller basketball. Nobody really talks about that.”
Andre Igoudala gives Lebron and the Miami heat credit for revolutionizing Nba offense
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— Headpeace (@Tsunamidrako) September 23, 2023
