Title-winning NBA star regrets getting Covid vaccine
Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins regrets getting his Covid vaccine despite coming off his best season which saw him make a maiden appearance in the All-Star game and win the NBA championship for the first time.
Along with Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, Wiggins became a media scapegoat for mulling over whether to get his Covid vaccines or not ahead of the 2021-2022 campaign.
Not doing so meant that Irving could only play in some of the Nets' games due to local Covid protocols, but Wiggins finally decided to get his jabs ahead of the Warrior's highly-successful season and regrets the decision despite the pivotal role he played.
"I still wish I didn't get [vaccinated], to be honest with you," Wiggins confessed to FanSided.
"I did it, and I was an All-Star this year and champion, so that was the good part, just not missing out on the year, the best year of my career," Wiggins explained.
"But for my body, I just don't like putting all 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 memorably tried to obtain a medical exemption to get out of taking his jabs, but failed.
Later on, he eventually gave in and claimed to have been "forced" into toeing the line.
"The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA," he remarked at the time.
"It feels good to play, but getting vaccinated – that's going to be something that stays in my mind for a long time. It's not something I wanted to do, but I was forced to."
Getting his jabs allowed Wiggins to play 73 games last season compared to Irving's 29, and his good form puts him in a strong bargaining position while heading into the last year of the $147 million rookie extension he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017.
Rather than test free agency, however, Wiggins would prefer to remain where he is in Oakland and continue with the Warriors.
"I would love to stay here," Wiggins revealed in June.
"Being here, this is top-notch. The way they treat the players... we're all one big family. I feel like a lot of places may say that, but they show it through their actions," Wiggins went on.
The Warriors' defense of their title, won against the Boston Celtics 4-2 in a best-of-seven series, begins when the NBA regular season kicks off again on October 19.
