Every personal absence Andrew Wiggins took last season had a strong, emotional reason behind it. As oblivious as it was kept, his family recently announced the heartbreaking news of his father, Mitchell Wiggins passing away at the age of 64. The Wiggins household held a private funeral in his honor. After having a few days to come to terms with his loss, the Warriors star’s brother Nick pinned a wholesome message for their late father.
The 33-year-old was a slitting image of his father. Inspired by his mannerisms and positive energy, he wore the number 15 with pride. In his years playing for the Houston Rockets, Mitchell Wiggins too put on the same jersey number. He described their relationship as “1 of 1”, a distinguished bond between a father and his son. Now, the Canadian basketball player wishes to carry on the lessons and be a father to his children just the way Mitchell Wiggins was to his six children.
“Rest easy Pops. You’re a legend. Guide the family & watch over us from above. One love, always,” he concluded.
A wave of support came to Nick Wiggins during the tough times. Stephen Curry’s sister Sydel left several hearts to offer her condolences to the family. Additionally, Andrew Wiggins ‘ wife, Mychal Johnson also offered her support to the family. Mitchell Wiggins will always be remembered for his incredible NBA career and his off-court impact.
Apart from being an integral part of the Houston Rockets, he held several camps in Canada after retiring fostering great NBA talent, His teammates remember him as “a great defender, father, and teammate”, a nod to his caring and empathetic character.
The Warriors always stood by Andrew Wiggins
As an organization that bleeds by ‘Strength in Numbers’, the Golden State Warriors epitomized what it means to be a family. Over the past few seasons, alluding to his father’s deteriorating health, they never objected to Andrew Wiggins taking personal absences. Furthermore, they never tried to trade him or cause any distress in any manner.
Understanding the severity of the delicate situation, they let the explosive forward and a pivotal part of the roster take his time and be present for his family. Despite having to field multiple allegations and being bombarded by questions, Steve Kerr didn’t break the oath of privacy.
The nine-time NBA champion always responded with an understanding approach, keeping Andrew Wiggins’ affairs private and continually offering strength to the former number-one pick. “Our coaches, the front office have just been thinking about Wiggs every day. If he comes back, great. If he doesn’t come back, that’s fine too. We just want to make sure that he’s in a good place, taking care of his family and we’ll see how it plays out,” Kerr said during a press conference in March last year.
As a franchise, the Bay area has been a wall of support shielding Andrew Wiggins from speculations. At a time when they could have found ways to stay competitive, they displayed humanity and let their member feel at peace in his tough times. So did all of his teammates. That seems to be the Bay spirit.
