Iguodala explains why Klay so beloved by Warriors, NBA fans

An outpouring of support was showered on Klay Thompson following news that the Warriors star had torn his Achilles in a workout on Wednesday.

The love for Thompson from NBA executives, coaches, players and fans was profound, and his former Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala tried to explain this nearly universal reverence in joining the "ESPN Daily" podcast with Pablo Torre.

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"You have those unique players like a Derrick Rose or Klay Thompson," Iguodala said Friday. "It's all one side and it's all love. It's just like, no matter what those guys do, they're going to get all the support and love in the world. They just have that it factor, where people are just attracted to them.

"Guys want to be like him just because of just his nonchalant character and his care-free in just going about life the way it is, and then all the girls want him as well. So he has that Derek Jeter effect, and all the guys, that's just a beautiful way to live."

RELATED: Six realistic Warriors free-agent targets this offseason

Thompson and Iguodala were teammates for six seasons and helped bring three championships to the Bay Area. 

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In Iguodala's book "The Sixth Man," the former Finals MVP shared a great anecdote about the relationship the two had on the court with the Warriors.

“When Klay’s turn came, we all assumed he was going to say that his highest moment was the day he scored 37 points in a quarter against Sacramento,” Iguodala writes. “I mean, that was an NBA record! But he didn’t. Instead he said, ‘My best moment was one night I caught a pass and I was like fifty feet from the basket and I was about to shoot it. And all of a sudden, I hear Andre being like, ‘What the f--k, Klay? You’re fifty feet out.’ And I thought about it for a second and shot it anyway. It went in, and I was like, ‘Yeah, Andre, f--k you.’ We all had a good laugh about that. I was like, ‘Wow, really dog? That was your best moment?'”

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