David West still going strong after hitting 1,000-game milestone

OAKLAND, Calif. -- After David West played in his 1,000th career game on Monday, the Warriors' reserve forward told ESPN he wouldn't have reached the milestone if he had chosen to play out his contract with the Indiana Pacers in 2015-16.

"I would have retired, man," West said after helping the Warriors to a 124-114 win over the Denver Nuggets. "That would have been it, because I wanted to compete for a championship. I needed to experience that. So, if I played out my contract there, that would have been it. I was walking away. I wanted to feel like I was playing for something."

So in June of 2015, West declined a player option worth $12.6 million, which was the final year of his three-year,…