Warriors will retire Iguodala’s No. 9

As Andre Iguodala moves around town in the Bay Area these days, he is regularly stopped by fans eager to praise him for how he carried himself while playing for the Warriors. For his grit and his drive. For doing all the little things many never saw. Some even share how his example influenced the way they raise their own kids — because that’s how much he has meant to big-time basketball both on the court and off it. Now, Iguodala will give them more to celebrate and cheer about. The Warriors announced Tuesday that Iguodala is becoming the seventh player to have his number retired by the franchise — set to join Rick Barry (24), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Nate Thurmond (42), Al Attles (16), Chris Mullin (17) and Tom Meschery (14). The team will honor Iguodala and hang his No. 9 jersey following a game against the Mavericks on Feb. 23, meaning former teammate Klay Thompson will have the chance to be there. Iguodala, 40, retired in October 2023 after 19 NBA seasons and four championships with the Warriors, including an NBA Finals MVP award in 2015.

Quick return for Lady Vols coach

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell returned to the sideline a week after giving birth to a son and was greeted with a standing ovation from a crowd of 12,033 on Monday night. Caldwell missed only one game for the Lady Vols after having her first child — Thursday night’s 80-76 loss at then-No. 7 Texas. She walked briskly down the sideline shortly before tipoff and waved to the crowd before shaking hands with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “I tried to sneak in,” Caldwell, above, said after No. 18 Tennessee’s 70-63 loss to the second-ranked Gamecocks. “I wanted to go unnoticed. (The ovation) makes it worth it, coming back.” Staley took note of Caldwell’s dedication to her team. “Women have the strength of 10 men,” Staley said. Caldwell was back at practice on Friday. The 36-year-old, first-year coach said she had a few postpartum restrictions. “It was hard for me to yell,” she said. “My players and my staff helped me with the yelling.” Caldwell said she never hesitated in her decision to return. “I love my team,” she said. “I ask a lot of them. I made sure I would give my best to them.”

Neymar back to his boyhood club

Neymar has agreed to return to Santos nearly 12 years after he left the Brazilian team, club president Marcelo Teixeira said Tuesday. The Brazil striker confirmed earlier that his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once. The 32-year-old Neymar won six titles with his boyhood club Santos, including a Copa Libertadores trophy in 2011. Santos is a beachfront city outside São Paulo. Neymar, once hailed as one of the world’s best players, spent much of his time in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines due to an ACL injury he picked playing for Brazil in October 2023. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star reportedly is expected to return to Brazil this week and reintroduce himself to Santos fans within days. Neymar became the most expensive player in soccer history when he transferred from Barcelona to PSG for 222 million euros (then $262 million) in 2017. Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer with 79 goals in 125 matches. —AP