Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins spoke to the media for the first time since his father’s passing and his absence from the team’s training camp in Hawaii due to illness.
Wiggins expressed that he is feeling better and participated fully in practice following the Warriors’ October 8 session in the Bay Area.
The 29-year-old former All-Star confirmed he will not play in the Warriors’ second preseason game against the Sacramento Kings on October 9, and his availability for the rest of the preseason remains uncertain. “I’ll return when I feel ready,” he stated.
Wiggins was seen practicing with the team’s second unit, which included Kyle Anderson, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney. “We were just working on our game,” Wiggins said. “Iron sharpens iron. We’re here to improve each other.”
Coming off a challenging season where he averaged a career-low 13.6 points and was benched for the first time in his career, Wiggins is expected to rebound this season. Warriors coach Steve Kerr is counting on him to step up as the team’s No. 2 scorer following Klay Thompson’s departure. “I expect a big year from Wiggins,” Kerr remarked on September 26 during Media Day, noting the scoring void left by Thompson. “Wiggins is a proven 20-point-a-night player, and we’ll rely heavily on him.”
Wiggins played a crucial role in the Warriors’ victory over the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, and Kerr hopes to see that version of him return this season. To prepare, Wiggins opted not to join the Canadian team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “He’s been in the gym all summer,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy commented during Media Day. “He looks great physically. He’s been through a lot personally, but on the basketball side, he’s in a good place. We’re optimistic he’ll have a great season.”
### Wiggins Is “Very Much at Peace”
The Warriors are hopeful that Wiggins can now focus on basketball after finding peace following the offseason challenges he faced. His father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, passed away in September after battling a serious medical condition.
Wiggins’ recent absences were connected to his father’s illness. In 2022, Shams Charania reported that Wiggins’ father had been dealing with a serious health issue, which explained Wiggins’ unexplained personal absences over the past two seasons. He missed two months of the 2022-23 season and sat out four games last season. Additionally, he had to cancel a business trip to China this offseason due to a family emergency related to his father’s health.
“He looks physically fit,” Kerr noted during Media Day. “Talking to him, he seems motivated and very much at peace.”
Kerr added, “I think he’s in a good place after a tough couple of years. He’s at his physical prime, and we’ve seen him perform at a high level before. He helped us win a championship.”
