SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors repeatedly said Andrew Wiggins’ vaccine status wouldn’t be an issue this season, and they were right.
The vaccine-resistant small forward got his shot, coach Steve Kerr said after practice Sunday, making Golden State’s full roster inoculated against COVID-19. Kerr declined to provide any more details, such as when Wiggins received his shot or which vaccine he received, but said he expects Wiggins to play Monday in the Warriors’ preseason opener at Portland.
Wiggins missed practice Saturday because he was “under the weather,” according to Kerr.
Wiggins’ hesitancy to get vaccinated came under extra scrutiny because of a San Francisco law that takes effect Oct. 13 requiring all attendees of large, indoor events age 12 and up to be vaccinated.
The Warriors’ first regular-season home game is Oct. 21 against the Clippers, which would give Wiggins’ enough time to qualify as fully vaccinated under the single-shot regimen but not the two doses required of mRNA vaccines.
Wiggins first expressed his reluctance to get vaccinated shortly after the Warriors acquired him from Minnesota in 2020. However, as access to the shots has expanded over the ensuing months, vaccine mandates have also become more commonplace.
More than 90% NBA players are vaccinated, according to the league, which outpaces the general population, even in the most vaccinated of locales, such as San Fransisco, where 88% of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose, according to the department of public health.
The Nets and Knicks have also had to navigate a similar mandate in New York City.
The city of San Francisco confirmed that Wiggins would not be eligible to play in any Warriors home games, though unvaccinated players from visiting teams wouldn’t be affected by the mandate. The NBA confirmed Wiggins and any other unvaccinated player stood to miss out on their checks for any game they missed because of their anti-vaccine stance.
The Warriors are counting on Wiggins to step up as the primary second scoring option behind Steph Curry, especially early on as Klay Thompson continues to rehab his Achilles tendon. The former No. 1 overall pick (2014) averaged 21.8 points per game between Minnesota and Golden State in 2019-20 was 20th in the NBA; he followed that by contributing 18.6 points in 71 games for the Warriors last season.
As Golden State entered training camp, Wiggins defended his beliefs in a tense room at media day. However, he didn’t explain why he was hesitant to get the shot or whom he was consulting for information. Last month, the league denied him a religious exemption.
“What’s right for one person isn’t right for another,” Wiggins said. “It’s none of your business is what it comes down to. I don’t ask you guys what you believe is right or wrong.”
Wiggins’ teammates were equally staunch in their public support of their teammate, who risked missing half of their games by going unvaccinated.
“I think you have to honor people’s feelings and their own personal beliefs,” Draymond Green said upon Thursday his arrival at training camp. “I think that’s been lost when it comes to vaccinated and unvaccinated. It kind of sucks that that’s been lost. … Just because I’m a leader of this team doesn’t give me the right to tell him what to do with his body.”
Stephen Curry, who hosted an Instagram Live with Dr. Anthony Fauci to raise awareness of the pandemic, said at the start of training camp that he was hopeful Wiggins would find access to the “right information.”
“Especially in this environment,” Curry said, “you have access to the experts and the people that are analyzing and studying and researching this thing every single day and hopefully you tap into that. … It’s about making a decision that you understand the consequences of on both sides.”
Check back for updates.
