Wiggins vexed over getting vaxxed

SAN FRANCISCO • Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins may cherish his first National Basketball Association (NBA) title and the maiden All-Star nod that came with the best season of his career, but he still wishes a Covid-19 vaccine had not been included in the mix.

"I still wish I didn't get (the vaccine) to be honest with you," the Canadian, who was a key component as his team won their fourth championship in eight years, told FanSided website on Tuesday. "But you've got to do what you've got to do."

Wiggins had revealed his preference to remain unvaccinated last September, but finally agreed to get the jab because a San Francisco health order, which was then in place, would have seen him sitting out home games if he did not.

He also would not have been allowed to play in road games in New York - with the Big Apple the other US city at the time with an identical order - as well as travel to Canada to play against the Toronto Raptors due to border rules concerning unvaccinated travellers.

He earned the first All-Star selection of his eight-year career, but said in March that even that had not taken the sting out of the decision, even though he told the Bay Area News Group at the time that "it all worked out for the best".

It certainly did on the floor, where his exploits included a highlight-reel dunk over Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic in the Western Conference Finals.

The 27-year-old's two-way talents were also widely recognised as one of the reasons that the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in last month's NBA Finals.

As a result of his U-turn decision to get vaccinated, Wiggins earned his entire US$31.6 million (S$44 million) salary, and helped the Warriors avoid the kind of implosion that befell the Brooklyn Nets.

Their Eastern Conference rivals were without star Kyrie Irving for much of the regular season because of his refusal to get vaccinated and were swept out of the first round of the play-offs.

However, it remains clear that Wiggins is still peeved that he was backed into a corner.

"I did it and I was an All-Star this year and a champion, so that was the good part," he said.

"Just not missing out on the year, the best year of my career. But for my body, I don't like putting all of that stuff in my body, so I didn't like that and I didn't like that it wasn't my choice. I didn't like that it was either get this or don't play."

Wiggins, who is up for a contract extension before becoming a free agent next off-season, added he hopes to stay on with Golden State, ESPN reported.

REUTERS