Andrew Wiggins facts for kids
Wiggins at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
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| No. 22 – Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Small forward / shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 23, 1995 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Kansas (2013–2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2014–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2020 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2025 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andrew Christian Wiggins is a professional basketball player from Canada. He was born on February 23, 1995. Andrew plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the very first player chosen in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for one year with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Andrew Wiggins grew up in Canada. He spent his last two years of high school in the United States. There, he was named a McDonald's All-American, which is a big honor for young basketball players. At Kansas, he was recognized as an All-American. He became only the second Canadian player ever to be picked first overall in the NBA draft. After a trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins won the NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 2014–15 season. He played for Minnesota for five and a half seasons before being traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2020. In 2022, Wiggins achieved his first NBA championship and was chosen for his first NBA All-Star game. He has also played for the Canadian national team.
Contents
- Early Life and Basketball Start
- High School Basketball Journey
- College Basketball at Kansas
- Professional NBA Career
- Playing for Team Canada
- Career Statistics
- Andrew's Family Life
- More About Andrew Wiggins
- See also
Early Life and Basketball Start
Andrew Wiggins was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in a nearby area called Vaughan in Thornhill, Ontario. His dad, Mitchell Wiggins, used to play in the NBA. His mom, Marita Payne-Wiggins, was an Olympic runner for Canada. His parents met when they were college athletes. Andrew went to Glen Shields Public School and then Vaughan Secondary School.
Andrew started playing organized basketball when he was nine years old. He joined an under-10 team in Toronto. At that time, he was about 5 feet 7 inches tall. He made his first slam dunk when he was 13. A year later, he grew to 6 feet 6 inches. He even broke a glass backboard once while dunking at a community center!
High School Basketball Journey
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Andrew played for Vaughan Secondary School for his first two years of high school. In his second year (2010–11), he helped his team get an amazing record of 44 wins and only 1 loss. They won the Ontario provincial championship. In that final game, he scored 25 points and got 13 rebounds.
In 2011, he moved to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia, in the United States. During his junior year, he averaged 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game. In his senior year, he averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 2.5 assists per game.
Andrew was first thought to be a top player for the 2014 class. But in October 2012, he announced he would finish high school a year earlier, joining the 2013 class. This happened because he had repeated a grade in middle school. He quickly became the top player in the 2013 class.
On February 7, 2013, Andrew scored 57 points in a game. This was his response after an article criticized Canadian basketball and his effort. He was named the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year and the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was the first Canadian player to win these awards. He was also named Mr. Basketball USA in May 2013.
College Basketball at Kansas
Andrew Wiggins decided to play for Kansas on May 14, 2013. He joined the team on June 19, 2013.
On January 13, 2014, Wiggins scored 17 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a win against Iowa State. He was only the second freshman in 15 years to get such high numbers against a ranked team.
In his first year at Kansas, Wiggins averaged 17.1 points per game (ppg) and 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg). He was named a Top 25 Finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and a semi-finalist for Naismith College Player of the Year. On March 8, 2014, Wiggins scored 41 points against West Virginia. This was the most points scored by a freshman in the Big 12 Conference since 2008.
Professional NBA Career
Starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2014–2020)
Andrew Wiggins entered the 2014 NBA draft on March 31, 2014. He was chosen as the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was the second Canadian player ever to be picked first in the NBA draft. However, before playing a game for the Cavaliers, Wiggins was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on August 23, 2014. This trade also involved the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rookie of the Year (2014–2015)
In his first NBA game on October 29, 2014, Wiggins scored six points. He quickly earned the NBA Rookie of the Month Award for the first two months of the season. On January 31, he scored 33 points against the Cavaliers. On February 13, Wiggins won the NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP award, scoring 22 points. On April 30, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2014–15 season. This was a huge achievement for his first year!
Career Highs in Scoring (2015–2017)
On November 7, 2015, Wiggins scored 31 points in a win against the Chicago Bulls. Two days later, he scored 33 points against the Atlanta Hawks, marking his first time scoring 30+ points in back-to-back games. On December 18, he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. On January 8, 2016, he scored a career-high 35 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On November 8, 2016, Wiggins scored a new career-high of 36 points. Five days later, he set an even higher career record with 47 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the first Canadian-born player to score over 40 points in an NBA game. On February 14, he scored 41 points. The next day, he scored 40 points, becoming only the second Minnesota player to have two 40-point games in a row.
First Playoff Appearance (2017–2020)
On October 11, 2017, Wiggins signed a big contract extension with the Timberwolves. On October 22, he scored 27 points and made a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. On January 20, 2018, he scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors. Two days later, he scored 40 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 7, 2018, Wiggins reached 6,000 career points. He was one of the youngest players to reach this milestone. His scoring average for the season was 17.7 points per game.
On October 24, 2018, Wiggins missed a game for only the second time in his career due to injury. He returned on October 31. He had a tough game on November 24, not scoring any points, which was a first for him. On December 23, he scored 30 points and made the winning shot with 14 seconds left against the Thunder. He scored 31 points on January 2 against the Boston Celtics. On January 8, he had a season-high 40 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Thunder. On January 18, Wiggins passed Sam Mitchell to become the second-highest scorer in the Timberwolves' history.
On January 18, 2020, Wiggins achieved his first career triple-double (scoring double digits in points, rebounds, and assists) with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Playing for the Golden State Warriors (2020–2025)
First Year and Play-in Appearance (2020–2021)
On February 6, 2020, Wiggins was traded to the Golden State Warriors. In his first game for the Warriors, he scored 24 points and had five steals. The Warriors did not make the playoffs that season.
On March 19, 2021, Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points, along with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The Warriors made it to the play-in tournament, but they lost two games and did not reach the main playoffs.
All-Star Selection and NBA Championship (2021–2022)
On December 6, 2021, Wiggins scored 28 points and made a career-high eight three-pointers. On January 27, 2022, he was chosen as a starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. This was his first time being selected as an All-Star! He was the first player picked first overall in the draft (since 1966) to get his first All-Star selection in his eighth season or later.
During the Western Conference Finals on May 22, Wiggins scored a playoff career-high 27 points and had 11 rebounds. In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Wiggins had 17 points and a playoff career-high 16 rebounds. In Game 5, he had 26 points and 13 rebounds. Wiggins won his first NBA championship when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games. He was a key player in the Finals, leading the Warriors in rebounds and blocks, and playing strong defense against Boston's star player, Jayson Tatum.
Contract Extension and Recent Seasons (2022–2025)
On October 15, 2022, Wiggins signed a new four-year contract with the Warriors. On November 20, Wiggins, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson made 23 three-pointers together in a game, which was a new NBA record for a trio. On December 3, Wiggins scored a season-best 36 points and matched his career high with eight three-pointers. In the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Warriors were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers. On March 24, 2024, Wiggins became the first Canadian NBA player to make 1,000 career three-pointers.
Joining the Miami Heat (2025–present)
On February 6, 2025, Wiggins was traded to the Miami Heat as part of a big five-team trade. On March 23, 2025, Wiggins had his second-highest scoring game of his career, with 42 points, in a win against the Charlotte Hornets.
Playing for Team Canada
Andrew Wiggins has also played for the Canadian national team. He helped the junior national team win bronze medals in the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and the 2012 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. In the 2012 tournament, he led the team in scoring.
In 2015, Wiggins played for the senior Canadian national team in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship. This tournament helped teams qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Wiggins helped Canada win the bronze medal and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He led the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game.
Wiggins played for the team again in the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He averaged 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in three games.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season
Andrew Wiggins has played many games in the NBA. Here are some of his average stats per game:
- 2014-15 (Minnesota): 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists
- 2015-16 (Minnesota): 20.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists
- 2016-17 (Minnesota): 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists (his highest scoring season)
- 2017-18 (Minnesota): 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists
- 2018-19 (Minnesota): 18.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists
- 2019-20 (Minnesota/Golden State): 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists
- 2020-21 (Golden State): 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists
- 2021-22 (Golden State): 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists (NBA Champion season)
- 2022-23 (Golden State): 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists
- 2023-24 (Golden State): 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists
- 2024-25 (Golden State/Miami): 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists
NBA Playoffs
In the playoffs, where the games are even tougher, Andrew's average stats per game are:
- 2018 (Minnesota): 15.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists
- 2022 (Golden State): 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists (NBA Champion season, highest rebounds)
- 2023 (Golden State): 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists
- 2025 (Miami): 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
College Statistics
In his one year at Kansas (2013–14), Andrew averaged:
- 17.1 points per game
- 5.9 rebounds per game
- 1.5 assists per game
Andrew's Family Life
Andrew Wiggins has two children, named Amyah and Alayah.
He has five brothers and sisters: Stephanie, Angelica, Taya, Nick, and Mitchell Jr. His brother, Nick, also played college basketball. His oldest brother, Mitchell Jr., played college basketball too.
More About Andrew Wiggins
- List of Canadians in the NBA
- List of second-generation NBA players
See also
In Spanish: Andrew Wiggins para niños
