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Wiggins ready to pour himself into Warriors for season of redemption originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – No sports franchise identifying as family friendly would stand between a player and his care for his actual family. So, the Warriors excused Andrew Wiggins’ multiple absences over the last two seasons. As much as they wanted him on the court, they didn’t dare try to persuade him away from his priorities.
His family. Specifically, his father. Former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins.
“I’ve looked up to him since I was a little kid,” Andrew Wiggins tells NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s the reason why I play basketball.”
Despite prolonged medical care, Mitchell Wiggins passed away on Sept. 9. The father of six was 64 years old. His legacy continues through his widow, his children and grandchildren. Andrew, the youngest of three sons, is the one under the brightest public spotlight.
Mitchell Wiggins spent six seasons in the NBA, playing for the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. He played another 10 years overseas, playing in France and Greece and the Philippines. Even with the extended time away, his sons all caught the basketball bug. Mitchell Jr. played in college. Nick played at Wichita State and continues to play overseas. Andrew happens to be the tallest and most talented.
Andrew was in middle school when he realized he could compete with his brothers and begin pushing his father. He was a few inches away from his eventual height of 6-foot-7.
“Growing up, I watched him play and watched my older brothers play, and I just followed in their footsteps,” Wiggins says, adding this his 6-foot-4 father “stopped playing me once I got big.”
Not necessarily because Mitchell couldn’t handle his son. The father was a low-turnover combo guard known as a ferocious defender. His smarts and grown-man strength might have been enough to lock up teenage Andrew, but dad had another plan.
“I think he could have,” Wiggins says. “But at that point, he just wanted to teach me things and show me things. He was always in the gym with me.”
Wiggins felt his father slipping away…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wiggins-ready-pour-himself-warriors-145250890.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-23 14:52:00
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