Andrew Wiggins

Early Life and Family Background

Andrew Christian Wiggins was born on February 23, 1995, in Toronto, Ontario, and was raised in the Vaughan portion of Thornhill. His athletic pedigree is exceptional, as the son of two elite athletes. His father, Mitchell Wiggins, is a former NBA player from the United States, while his mother, Marita Payne-Wiggins, is a Canadian former Olympic track and field sprinter who was originally from Barbados. His parents first met as student athletes at Florida State University. Wiggins attended Glen Shields Public School for elementary education and began his high school studies at Vaughan Secondary School. He started playing organized basketball at age nine, joining an under-10 team in Toronto while standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. By age 13, he dunked a basketball for the first time, and a year later, he had grown to 6 feet 6 inches and shattered a glass backboard after dunking on a rim at the Dufferin Clark Community Centre in Vaughan.

High School Stardom and National Recognition

Wiggins spent his first two years of high school at Vaughan Secondary School, where he led the school's AAAA basketball team to a 44-1 record and an Ontario provincial championship during his sophomore year in 2010-11. In the championship game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, amid chants from the crowd. For his final two years, he transferred to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia, to further develop his game. As a junior, he averaged 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game, and as a senior, he averaged 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds. Originally considered the top prospect for the class of 2014, Wiggins reclassified in October 2012 to graduate in 2013, his original class, after having repeated a grade in middle school. This move immediately placed him ahead of Jabari Parker as the nation's top recruit according to ESPN. His senior year was marked by a dominant 57-point performance in a 111-59 win over Marietta College on February 7, 2013, a direct response to an article in Sports Illustrated that had criticized Canadian basketball and his work ethic. Wiggins swept the major national high school player of the year awards, becoming the first Canadian to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year honour on March 28, 2013.

Andrew Wiggins received several prestigious awards during his final high school season. He was named the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year on February 25. He was also named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year on March 28, becoming the first Canadian player to receive that honour. In May of 2013, he was named Mr. Basketball USA. Wiggins was ranked as the number one high school basketball player by SLAM magazine that same year.

• 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year (February 25, 2013)
• 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year (March 28, 2013)
• Mr. Basketball USA (May 2013)
• Ranked number one high school player by SLAM magazine
• McDonald's All-American selection

Andrew Wiggins concluded his high school career by playing in the Jordan Brand Classic All-American game in April 2013. The game was held in Brooklyn, New York. During the event, Wiggins scored a total of 19 points. His performance tied him with Julius Randle for the lead scorer position on the East team.

College Career at Kansas

After a highly publicized recruitment, Wiggins committed to play for the University of Kansas Jayhawks on May 14, 2013, choosing them over Florida State, Kentucky, and North Carolina. He joined the team on June 19, 2013, and had an immediate impact during his lone collegiate season. On January 13, 2014, he recorded 17 points and 19 rebounds in a 77-70 win over Iowa State, becoming only the second freshman in the last 15 years, along with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, to amass those numbers in a win against a ranked opponent. His signature performance came on March 8, 2014, when he scored 41 points against West Virginia, the most for a Big 12 Conference freshman since Michael Beasley scored 44 points in 2008. For the season, Wiggins averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range. His play earned him recognition as a consensus second-team All-American. He was also named a Top 25 finalist for the John R. Wooden Award on January 22, 2014, and a semi-finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year on February 28. He declared for the NBA draft on March 31, 2014, after his freshman year, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

NBA Career: Minnesota Timberwolves (2014 to 2020)

Wiggins was selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 26, 2014, following Anthony Bennett as the second Canadian to be chosen first overall. In a major preseason trade on August 23, 2014, he was dealt alongside Bennett and Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team trade that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland and involved the Philadelphia 76ers. This made Wiggins just the second number one pick since the ABA-NBA merger to be traded before playing a game for the drafting team, after Chris Webber in 1993. Wiggins made his NBA debut on October 29, 2014, scoring six points in a 105 to 101 season-opening loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He quickly established himself, earning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honours for November and December 2014. On January 31, 2015, he scored 33 points in a loss to his former draft team, the Cavaliers. On February 13, 2015, he won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP after scoring 22 points for Team World in a 121 to 112 win. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2014-15 season on April 30, 2015.

In subsequent seasons with the Timberwolves, Wiggins developed into a prolific scorer. He set a then career-high of 35 points in a loss to Cleveland on January 8, 2016. On November 13, 2016, he scored a career-best 47 points in a 125-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the first Canadian-born player to score over 40 points in an NBA game. He later recorded back-to-back 40-point games in February 2017, becoming just the second Minnesota player to do so. He signed a five-year, $148 million contract extension with Minnesota on October 11, 2017. His tenure included his first career triple-double on January 18, 2020, with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Key milestones during his Minnesota years included reaching 6,000 career points on February 7, 2018, at 22 years and 349 days old, becoming the sixth-youngest player to do so.

Golden State Warriors (2020 to 2025) and Championship Run

Wiggins was traded to the Golden State Warriors on February 6, 2020, in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans, and Omari Spellman. He scored 24 points and had five steals in his Warriors debut, a 125 to 120 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. His integration into the team culminated in a career-defining 2021-22 season. On December 6, 2021, he made a career-high eight three-pointers in a 126-95 win over the Orlando Magic. He was voted a starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, his first All-Star selection, aided in part by strategic fan voting support from K-pop star BamBam. Wiggins became the third first-time All-Star to be voted a starter in his eighth season or later, and the first No. 1 overall pick in the modern draft era (since 1966) to earn his first selection that late. Wiggins played a crucial role in the Warriors' playoff run, scoring a then playoff career-high 27 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against Dallas. In the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, he posted a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double in Game 4 and a 26-point, 13-rebound effort in Game 5. He finished the series averaging 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, serving as the team's leading rebounder and primary defender on Jayson Tatum, and helped Golden State win the championship in six games.

On October 15, 2022, he signed a four-year, $109 million contract extension with the Warriors. A notable regular season performance came on December 3, 2022, when he scored 36 points and matched his career best by making eight three-pointers in a 120 to 103 win over Houston. On November 20, 2022, he, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 23 made three-pointers, an NBA record for a trio in a single game. In the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Warriors were eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers. On March 24, 2024, Wiggins became the first NBA player born in Canada to make 1,000 career three-pointers, a significant milestone for Canadian basketball.

Trade to the Miami Heat and Recent Performance

On February 6, 2025, Wiggins was traded to the Miami Heat as part of a complex five-team deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. He quickly made an impact with his new team, scoring 42 points in a 122 to 105 win over the Charlotte Hornets on March 23, 2025, marking the second-highest scoring game of his career. On November 10, 2025, he delivered a memorable performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, hitting a game-winning alley-oop dunk at the buzzer to secure a 140 to 138 overtime victory, finishing with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Demonstrating his commitment to the Heat franchise, Wiggins opted into the final year of his contract and signed a two-year, $34 million extension on June 29, 2026, effectively securing a three-year, $64 million deal to remain in Miami. This move solidified his role as a veteran leader for the Heat as he entered his mid-thirties, providing scoring and experience to a team with championship aspirations.

Canadian National Team Career

Wiggins has been a fixture for the Canadian national team at multiple levels since his youth. He won a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, where he was a teammate of future NBA player and Timberwolves teammate Anthony Bennett. He won another bronze at the 2012 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, leading the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game and adding 7.6 rebounds per game. He made his senior team debut at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics. Again, he led Canada in scoring with 15.1 points per game and earned All-Tournament Team honours as the squad won the bronze medal. Wiggins also competed for Canada at the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where he averaged 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over three contests.

Career Statistics and Key Performances

Andrew Wiggins has played professional basketball for multiple NBA franchises, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors, and the Miami Heat. His career statistics include averages for points, rebounds, and assists per game from both the regular season and the playoffs. These metrics illustrate his all-around contributions as a scorer and defender throughout his career. His 47-point game for Minnesota in 2016 remains a franchise record for a Canadian-born player, and his 1,000th career three-pointer in 2024 was a historic first for a Canadian-born NBA player. Other notable statistical achievements include recording consecutive 30-point games for the first time in November 2015, and in December 2015 joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tobias Harris as the only players aged 20 or younger since 2000 to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. His scoring prowess was evident early, as he topped 20 points for 16 straight games in February 2017, tying a Timberwolves franchise record.

Personal Life and Family

Andrew Wiggins maintains a private family life centred in the United States and Canada. He has two children, daughters named Amyah and Alayah. He comes from a large athletic family, with five siblings: sisters Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya, and brothers Nick and Mitchell Jr. His brother Nick played college basketball at Vincennes University, Wabash Valley College, and Wichita State University, while his eldest brother, Mitchell Jr., played at Hillsborough Community College and Southeastern University. The athletic success of his parents and siblings has created a supportive and competitive environment that has influenced his own career trajectory from a young age, providing a foundation for his development into an NBA star.

Questions about Andrew Wiggins

Where was Andrew Wiggins born and where did he grow up?

Andrew Wiggins was born in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up in the Vaughan portion of Thornhill, Ontario. He attended elementary school at Glen Shields Public School. He began his high school education at Vaughan Secondary School in Vaughan.

Why is Andrew Wiggins significant to Canadian basketball?

Andrew Wiggins is the second Canadian to be selected first overall in an NBA draft. He was the first Canadian player to be named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He has been a member of the Canadian national team. He helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

What are Andrew Wiggins's major NBA achievements?

Andrew Wiggins earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors for the 2014-15 season. He was selected for his first NBA All-Star game in 2022 and was named a Western Conference starter. He won his first NBA championship in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors. In 2024, he became the first NBA player born in Canada to reach 1,000 career threes made.

Which teams has Andrew Wiggins played for in the NBA?

Andrew Wiggins has played for three NBA teams. He began his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2014 to 2020) after being drafted by and traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers before the 2014-15 season. He was then traded to the Golden State Warriors (2020 to 2025), where he spent five seasons and won a championship. As of 2025, he plays for the Miami Heat following a multi-team trade that involved Jimmy Butler moving to Golden State.

Did Andrew Wiggins play college basketball?

Yes, Andrew Wiggins played one season of college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2013-14. He was a consensus second-team All-American, averaging 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range. His standout performance was a 41-point game against West Virginia, the most by a Big 12 freshman since Michael Beasley in 2008. He declared for the NBA draft after that single season.

Has Andrew Wiggins played for Team Canada?

Yes, Andrew Wiggins has represented Canada extensively at both junior and senior levels. He won bronze medals at the junior level in the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and the 2012 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. With the senior national team, he was a leading scorer and an All-Tournament Team selection at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, where Canada also won bronze. He also played in the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, averaging 21.7 points per game.

Sources and further reading

• Andrew Wiggins (Wikipedia)
• Andrew Wiggins Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft ... (basketball-reference.com)

Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.