Wiggins’ Choice Against Vaccination Could Put the Warriors in a Tough Spot
After an emergent season on both sides of the ball and a feeling of immersion in the fabric of the organization, a complication is putting the upcoming campaign in doubt for Andrew Wiggins.
The former No. 1 overall pick has declined vaccination against COVID-19 after stating his disinterest in March 2021 – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three available vaccines are safe and effective with the Pfizer vaccine recently receiving full FDA approval.
While NBA team staff in close proximity to players and officials will be required to be vaccinated, the league is not currently mandating vaccines for players. However, with Golden State calling the Chase Center in San Francisco home, the lack of requirements by the league may conflict with local mandates.
Full vaccination for operators and “hosts” of large indoor events like Warriors games is required in the city, including for players like Wiggins and his Golden State teammates.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rusty Simmons, the one-time Kansas Jayhawk may be in pursuit of a religious exemption from vaccination from the league, but the city of San Francisco would not make a determination on his playing eligibility until said accommodation is made, if it happens at all.
With the potential ramifications of losing their second-leading scorer from last season, Rusty Simmons detailed in his piece “Why Andrew Wiggins' anti-vaccination choice gives Warriors reason to worry” the efforts the Warriors have taken to get Wiggins on board. “The Warriors recently connected Wiggins with an Oakland doctor who understands issues surrounding vaccine hesitancy, sources said. The doctor explained the suffering and deaths she has witnessed in patients who contracted the coronavirus, sources said, but Wiggins remains unmoved in his decision against vaccination.”
If Wiggins were to be granted a religious exemption by the league and the city of San Francisco, this may all be moot. But, if the league or the city does not grant any waiver, Wiggins would only be able to play in 41 of the team’s 82 games and have to forfeit the salary for all of the home games he is unable to participate in.
San Francisco and New York City are the only two NBA locales with vaccine requirements for indoor events – absent from the list, among others, is Philadelphia.
This means just as the likelihood of a trade for Ben Simmons seemed even more unlikely with Joe Lacob’s recent tampering fine for comments on the 76ers star, the dissatisfied point-forward could once again be on the team’s radar if Wiggins were to be ineligible to play home games.
The 76ers already asked for Wiggins, James Wiseman and the Warriors’ two lottery picks for Ben Simmons in the summer, but with Wiggins’ potential lack of utility and Ben Simmons’ thoroughly-established dislike for his place in Philadelphia, maybe a compromise will be reached.
Wiggins has options – the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines or the one-shot Johnson and Johnson jab – but if he remains unvaccinated within the local requirements, options for Golden State without one of its best players could be limited.
(Photo credit: Noah Graham / NBAE via Getty Images)