Andrew Wiggins has received COVID-19 vaccine, now can play in all of Warriors’ games
Andrew Wiggins, who could have lost half of his $31.6 million salary during the 2021-22 NBA season if he refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, has been vaccinated and will be available for all Golden State Warriors games this season, coach Steve Kerr told reporters after practice Sunday.
Wiggins, an eight-year NBA veteran who played one season of college basketball (2013-14) at Kansas, would not have been allowed to play in Warriors’ home games if he was unvaccinated.
According to NBCsports.com, Kerr on Sunday did not make any other comments regarding Wiggins’ vaccination update.
”He just told me today that he was fine with us acknowledging it and that will be the end of it,” Kerr said as quoted by NBCsports.com.
San Francisco Department of Heath rules require all individuals 12 and older (including NBA players) to show proof of vaccine if they wish to attend a large indoor event.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Wiggins would have lost more than $350,000 a game if he was unable to play in the Warriors’ 41 home games.
Kerr told reporters Sunday that Wiggins will play in Monday’s preseason opener at Portland. The 6-7 wing from Thornhill, Canada had missed practiced on Saturday because he was “under the weather.”
Asked about perhaps losing a sizeable amount of his salary if he was unvaccinated this season, Wiggins had said Monday at Media Day: “And it’s my problem, not yours.”
While not telling reporters if he’d been vaccinated, it was assumed he’d not been jabbed, considering the NBA recently denied a religious exemption request filed by Wiggins.
Wiggins had received support from teammate Draymond Green, who said at Media Day Wiggins had the right to make his own choice regarding vaccination.
“It’s all love. It’s all love and support. No negative energy,” Wiggins said Monday. “My team, I love them. I would talk to them about anything. I know whatever I say to them is going to stay private. If they want to chat about it or anything, it wouldn’t matter,” he stated.
Asked why he didn’t wish to make public his belief about being vaccinated, Wiggins said Monday: “Because it’s none of your business. That’s what it comes down to, you know. I don’t ask you about your beliefs. I don’t ask you about what you guys think is right or wrong. We’re different people.
“It would be like parenting. Some people shed their beliefs onto their children. Some people let their children grow up and believe what they want to believe. Who are you guys (media) why I have explain what I believe, or you know, what’s right or what’s wrong in my mind? We are two totally different people. What you think is not what I think; what I think is not what you think.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Andrew Wiggins has received COVID-19 vaccine, now can play in all of Warriors’ games."
