Andrew Wiggins' sister shares heartbreaking news about father Mitchell Wiggins' passing as Warriors star faces loss
On Thursday, Andrew Wiggins' sister took to Instagram, posting a tribute to her and Andrew Wiggins' father, Mitchell Wiggins, on her Instagram story. The post quickly caught the attention of NBA fans around the league, with heartfelt tributes and messages of support pouring in for the NBA vet, who played for a number of NBA teams from 1983-1992.
While Andrew Wiggins hasn't posted to social media regarding the family tragedy, his sister Angey Wiggins posted a photo of her with her dad on her Instagram story, writing:
"Rest easy. You'll forever be missed. I love you forever Daddy."
While it's unclear what happened, two seasons ago, the Golden State starter missed 22 games due to "personal reasons" as reported by Shams Charania. At the time, no details were given regarding the situation, however, rumors and theories began to fly online.
In February of 2023, Wiggins wound up taking a leave of absence following the team's Feb. 13 game against the Washington Wizards. While reports suggested that he could return in April, he wound up missing further time. Despite that, the Golden State Warriors reportedly gave him time and space to attend to the matter.
Looking further at Andrew Wiggins' absence during the 2022-23 season and the reports regarding his father, Mitchell Wiggins' health
While the Warriors were giving Andrew Wiggins space to attend to a personal matter, fans began to speculate as to why the forward was missing time.
In late February, Steve Kerr revealed that although both he and other members of the team's front office had been in contact with Wiggins, the forward wanted to keep things private. At the time, Kerr simply explained that Wiggins' absence was excused, rather than a case of a player going AWOL.
One of the theories circulating online for example alleged that Wiggins found out he wasn't the father of his kids, however, those rumors were then squashed thanks to a report from Shams Charania. As the NBA insider reported in early April, Andrew Wiggins' father had been dealing with a serious medical situation.
Wiggins wouldn't return to the Warriors' lineup until April, when he contributed 17 points in a narrow 126-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, there had been little news regarding the situation up until the news of Mitchell Wiggins' passing.
Looking at Mitchell Wiggins' NBA career
Mitchell Wiggins was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 23rd pick of the 1983 draft, however, he was then traded to the Chicago Bulls on draft night. In his rookie year, Wiggins played in all 82 games, averaging 12.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
The following summer, the Bulls traded Wiggins to Houston, where he played two and a half seasons before being suspended by the league for cocaine usage. It wasn't until the 1989-90 season that Wiggins returned to the league, picking up right where he left off with a 15.5ppg average to go along with 4.3rpg and 1.3spg.
When he hit free agency the following summer, he didn't receive any interest from teams, taking a year off before returning to the league for the 1991-92 season.
After seeing his minutes drop to a career-low 11.6 mpg, he took his talents to Greece where he led the Greek League in scoring for two years. In addition, he earned three All-Star selections while playing in Greece before bouncing around internationally in the twilight years of his career.