This is the most Andrew Wiggins story ever
Andrew Wiggins delayed a life event to play in a game last month, and it went about as expected, presumably on two fronts
After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2014, Andrew Wiggins has come of as uninterested and indifference. His anointing as “Maple Jordan” is long gone, since Jordan had (and probably still has) more competitive drive in the fingernail of his pinkie finger than Wiggins does in his whole body.
Wiggins is nearing the end of his first full season with the Golden State Warriors, after being traded (unloaded really) by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has notably improved defensively this season, and he’s averaging 18.3 points per game while being a functional 3-point shooter (38.3 percent).
But this, is the most Wiggins story of all Wiggins stories.
On the Warriors Off Court podcast, hosted by reporters Connor Letourneau and Wes Goldberg, Letourneau defended Wiggins and offered an interesting anecdote. H/T to Liam McKeone of The Big Lead.
I am so tired of hearing from Warriors fans and other people out there that [Wiggins] doesn't care, that he's apathetic, that he's lazy. I'm tired of the Stephen A. Smith rants about how he'd trade Andrew Wiggins for a box of cookies. This is a guy, I don't think this is out there. This is a guy who, a couple weeks ago, his girlfriend was going into labor. He had her delay inducing labor so that he can play a regular-season NBA game for the Warriors. Immediately after the game was over, he was like, 'Yep, time to induce labor. I'll be there.'"
McKeone did a little digging, and deduced the game Wiggins delayed the inducing of his girlfriend’s labor for was April 9 against the Washington Wizards. The Warriors lost. Wiggins scored 15 points (on 7-for-13 shooting) with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, though he did have a +12 plus-minus.
Wiggins should have been, and was, there for his daughter’s birth. It’s admirable he wanted to play in what could be an important game for a Warriors’ team that’s battling for a spot in the play-in tournament. But it’s the most Wiggins thing that he delayed an important life event, perhaps much to the mother of his child’s chagrin, to play in a game his team lost.
Warriors Nation has been complementary of Wiggins all season. At one early point, a suggestion the Timberwolves were fleeced in the trade, which netted them D’Angelo Russell, was out there. No one in Minnesota is saying Russell has been everything it was hoped he’d be to this point. But Wiggins is still what he is as a player-simply not enough.
A decision to play and delay his girlfriend giving birth, doesn’t suddenly make Wiggins a dedicated leader because he put his team first. Wiggins is still gonna Wiggins, through about three or four more teams before his NBA career is over.