Andrew Christian Wiggins (born February 23, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Kansas before being drafted with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, making him just the second Canadian to be taken number one overall in the NBA draft. He went on to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors for the 2014â€"15 season. Wiggins is also a member of the Canadian national team.
Early life
Wiggins was born in Toronto and raised in the nearby Thornhill neighbourhood of Vaughan, Ontario. He is the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, an American, and former Olympic track and field sprinter Marita Payne-Wiggins, a Canadian who is originally from Barbados. His parents met as student athletes at Florida State University. He attended elementary school at Glen Shields Public School in Vaughan.
Wiggins began playing organized basketball when he was nine, joining an Under-10 team in Toronto. At the time, he was 5Â ft 7 in (1.70 m). He dunked a basketball for the first time when he was 13, and a year later, he grew to 6Â ft 6 in (1.98 m) and shattered a glass backboard after dunking on a rim at the Dufferin Clark Community Centre in Vaughan.
High school career
Wiggins attended Vaughan Secondary School in Vaughan for his first two years of high school. In his 2010â€"11 sophomore year, he led the school's AAAA basketball team to a 44â€"1 record, en route to winning the Ontario provincial championship. In the championship game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, amid chants of "Over-rated!" from the crowd.
In 2011, he transferred to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia. During his junior season, he averaged 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. As a senior, he averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 2.5 assists per game.
Wiggins had been rated as the top prospect for 2014, but announced in October 2012 that he would officially reclassify into his original high school class of 2013, and was immediately placed ahead of the previous number one prospect, Jabari Parker, by ESPN.
On February 7, 2013, after an article in Sports Illustrated criticized Canadian basketball and Wiggins' work ethic, he responded later that day, scoring 57 points in a 111â€"59 win over Marietta College.
Wiggins was named the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year on February 25. He was named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year on March 28 as the nation's top high school player. He was the first Canadian player to be so named. In May 2013, he was named Mr. Basketball USA. He was ranked number one high school basketball player by SLAM Magazine.
In April 2013, Wiggins played in the Jordan Brand Classic All-American game in Brooklyn. He scored 19 points and tied Julius Randle for lead scorer for the East team.
College career
Wiggins committed to Kansas on May 14, 2013. Before the announcement, he had narrowed his choices to Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina. Wiggins joined the Kansas team on June 19, 2013.
On January 13, 2014, Wiggins scored 17 points and collected 19 rebounds in a 77â€"70 victory over Iowa State, becoming only the second freshman in the last 15 years (along with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) to amass those numbers in a win against a ranked opponent.
Wiggins averaged 17.1 points per game (ppg), 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg), and made 34.1% of his three-pointers in his freshman year at Kansas. On January 22, 2014, Wiggins was named a Top 25 Finalist for the John R. Wooden Men's Player of the Year award by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. On February 28, he was named one of the 10 semi-finalists for Naismith College Player of the Year.
On March 8, 2014, Wiggins scored 41 points against West Virginia, the most for a Big 12 Conference freshman since Michael Beasley scored 44 points against Baylor in 2008.
College statistics
Professional career
Minnesota Timberwolves (2014â€"present)
Wiggins declared for the 2014 NBA draft on March 31, 2014. He was selected first overall in the draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 26, 2014, becoming just the second Canadian ever picked number one in the draft, after Anthony Bennett, who had been selected first overall one year prior in the 2013 NBA draft, also by Cleveland. On July 24, Wiggins signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers. On August 23, a three-team trade was completed involving the Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the deal, Wiggins and teammate Anthony Bennett were traded to the Wolves, along with Thaddeus Young, then of the Sixers. The Cavaliers received Kevin Love from Minnesota, whereas the Sixers received Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved from Minnesota and a 2015 first round draft pick from Cleveland. Wiggins became just the second player since the ABAâ€"NBA merger to be drafted as the number one pick, only to be traded afterwards without playing a single game for the team he was originally selected for; Chris Webber was the first following the 1993 NBA draft.
On October 29, 2014, Wiggins made his NBA debut in the Timberwolves' season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. In 18 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in the 105â€"101 loss. He went on to earn the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November 2014. Wiggins won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December as well after averaging 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. On January 31, 2015, he had a season-best game with 33 points on 14-of-25 shooting and 4 steals in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 13, Wiggins won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP after scoring 22 points for Team World in a 121â€"112 win over Team United States. On April 30, he was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2014â€"15 season.
On October 21, 2015, the Timberwolves exercised their third-year team option on Wiggins' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016â€"17 season. On November 7, 2015, he scored a game-high 31 points in a 102â€"93 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. Two days later, he tied his career high of 33 points in a 117â€"107 win over the Atlanta Hawks, marking the first time scoring back-to-back 30-point games in his career. On December 18, he recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 99â€"95 win over the Sacramento Kings, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tobias Harris as the only players 20 or younger to record at least 30 points, 10 boards and five assists in a game since 2000. On January 8, 2016, he scored a then career-high 35 points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On October 24, 2016, the Timberwolves exercised their fourth-year team option on Wiggins' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2017â€"18 season. On November 8, 2016, he scored a career-high 36 points and hit a career-best six three-pointers in a 119â€"110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Five days later, he set a new career high with 47 points in a 125â€"99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the first Canadian-born player to score 40+ points in an NBA game. On February 14, 2017, he had a 41-point effort in a 116â€"108 loss to Cleveland. The following day, he scored 40 points in a 112â€"99 win over the Denver Nuggets, becoming just the second Minnesota player to record back-to-back 40-point games. On February 24, 2017, he scored 27 points in a 97â€"84 win over the Dallas Mavericks, topping 20 points for the 16th straight game, tying a franchise record.
On October 11, 2017, Wiggins signed a five-year, $148 million contract extension with the Timberwolves. In the Timberwolves' season opener on October 18, 2017, Wiggins scored 26 points in a 107â€"99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Four days later, he scored 27 points and hit the game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Timberwolves to a 115â€"113 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
National team career
Wiggins participated in the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and 2012 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, helping the Canadian junior national team win a bronze medal in each tournament. During the 2010 tournament, Wiggins was a teammate of Anthony Bennett, the number one overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and his former teammate on the Timberwolves. In the 2012 tournament, he led the team in scoring with 15.2 ppg, along with 7.6 rpg.
On August 20, 2015, Wiggins was named to the Canadian national team roster for the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Wiggins helped Canada win the bronze medal; he led the team in scoring, with 15.1 points per game, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Personal life
Wiggins has two older brothers. His middle brother, Nick, played college basketball at Vincennes University, Wabash Valley College, and Wichita State University, and his oldest brother, Mitchell Jr., played at Hillsborough Community College and Southeastern University. He also has three sisters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya.
See also
- List of Canadians in the National Basketball Association
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
- Andrew Wiggins at kuathletics.com
- Andrew Wiggins on Twitter