Andrew Wiggins Taking Leave Of Absence From Warriors

Forward Andrew Wiggins is taking a leave of absence from the Golden State Warriors, coach Steve Kerr said.

“Wiggs is a private person and he’s asked to keep it private and we’re going to honor that,” Kerr said Wednesday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game. “It doesn’t help for me to sit here and try to explain any of that. The bottom line is we respect Wiggs, we need him and we fully expect him back, but we just don’t know when that will be.”

Wiggins was ruled out for Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks and didn’t play in Wednesday’s win over the Washington Wizards.

Wiggins, 29, has appeared in 50 games this season and compiled averages of 12.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 46 percent from the field and 35 percent on 3-pointers. He took a leave of absence from the Warriors for a “family matter” during the final 25 games of the 2022-23 season.

Per Cleveland.com: “The Athletic NBA insider Shams Charania reported in April 2023 that Wiggins’ father was dealing with a “serious medical situation.” Wiggins returned for the Warriors’ playoff run that season, playing in all 13 games before the team was eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.”

A former All-Star and NBA champion, Wiggins was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves before that season as part of the deal for power forward Kevin Love.

Golden State (30-27) entered Thursday as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth. The Warriors have won eight of 10.