Golden State Warriors Basketball is back. With the 2023-24 NBA Season kicking off tonight, the Warriors are hosting the Phoenix Suns for Opening Night. During the game, the announcers talked about the time Andrew Wiggins missed last season. Here’s what happened:
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Wiggins had an impressive All-Star year during the 2021-22 season, which saw him be the 2nd best player on the Championship team. However, the 2022-23 season was nowhere near as kind to Wiggins. Wiggins was away from the game for over 2 months, during which time, there was no definitive answer for his absence.
When Andrew Wiggins returned in April, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Wiggins’ 22-game absence was due to his father, Mitchell Wiggins. The former NBA Player was going through a ‘serious medical situation.’
Since then, Wiggins talked about how it was crucial for him to be with his family and how family comes first.
However, during that time, there were nasty cheating rumors surrounding the 2022 All-Star circulating as well. They claimed that Wiggins’ long-time partner cheated on him with his best friend. Despite Mychal Johnson denying the rumors, the vicious people of social media did not stop.
While Wiggins did not respond to the rumors, his return from the 22-game absence and his dad’s news silenced all of them.
How did other Warriors react to Andrew Wiggins’ return?
Wiggins last played a game for the Warriors around Feb 13. He returned and took the floor for the first time in Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings on April 17. After not playing for 2 months and jumping straight into a playoff atmosphere was not easy.
Here’s what Stephen Curry had to say:
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson kept it to the point and said,
“I’m so proud of (Andrew Wiggins) Wiggs… I’m so grateful he’s back.”
Steve Kerr was glad to have his 2-way star back, and was proud of what Wiggins put up in his 17-point performance in Game 1.
Wiggins struggled a bit in the 2023 playoffs, which was expected. He averaged just 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. However, he’s back, and he’s ready for the 2023-24 season. We’ll have to see how he handles the challenge.
