‘Abbott Elementary’: Ava’s Boyfriend Revealed to Be MVP Athlete

A famous athlete just made a cameo appearance on the hit ABC series Abbott Elementary. In the episode that aired on Wednesday night, it was revealed that Ava (Janelle James) is dating four-time NBA champion and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. This happened at the very end of the episode, and Janine (Quinta Brunson) quickly recognized him. As Iguodala embraced Ava, he took a shot at Janine for being short. 

Fans on Twitter loved the cameo appearance. “Ava’s boyfriend is Andre Iguodala?!” one fan wrote. “Between Vince Staples and Iggy this episode was full of surprises! What a way to end the winter finale!” This was the final episode for Abbott Elementary until it comes back for the second half of Season 2 on Jan. 4. 

Abbott Elementary has been a huge hit for ABC since it premiered on Dec. 7, 2021. For its first season, Abbott Elementary has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (Brunson) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Sheryl Lee Ralph). James was also nominated for an Emmy, and when speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in October, James talked about making the transition to acting about being a comedian. 

“You kind of learn as you go, and personally, it took me until maybe the third or fourth episode before I knew what a mark was,” James said. “I didn’t know I was not standing on my mark, and it’s not even [like] anyone told me. I was just looking at the ground one day, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute … [laughs], are we supposed to be standing on [our marks]?!’ And I think it was Sheryl who was like, ‘Yeah.” And I looked and everyone was standing on their color, and I was like, ‘Wait … am I orange?!’”

Iguodala currently plays for the Golden State Warriors, and it’s his second stint with the team after being with the Miami Heat from 2019-2021. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 9 overall in 2004 and was with the team for eight seasons before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2013. Iguodala joined the Warriors in 2013 and helped the team win three titles in six seasons. In 2019, Igoudala was traded to the Heat and spent two seasons with them before re-signing with the Warriors last year and helping them win another championship.