Why did Andrew Wiggins take personal leave in 2022-23 season? Closer look as Warriors forward misses time citing personal reasons again

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins will be taking another indefinite absence from the team due to personal reasons, as announced by coach Steve Kerr. This development comes as the forward has been ruled out for their game against the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Kerr informed the Bay Area program Willard & Dibs that Andrew Wiggins will be sidelined, and the team is uncertain about his return timeline.

“Wiggs is dealing with a personal matter. ... We do expect him to be back, but we just don’t exactly know when,” the coach said.

Last season, Andrew Wiggins missed a significant number of games, totaling 25 absences, due to personal reasons. It was later revealed that these reasons were related to his father's serious medical situation.

Wiggins made a comeback for Golden State's playoff campaign last season, participating in all 13 postseason games. The reason for Andrew Wiggins' absence this season has not been disclosed.

He's averaging 12.7 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 45.5% from the field in 27.2 minutes per game. Golden State has a 25-26 record in games Wiggins has played in.

The Warriors have 25 games left in the season, with seven of their next 10 games against teams competing for playoff spots.

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Who is Andrew Wiggins' father?

Andrew Wiggins is the son of Mitchell Wiggins, a former NBA player with a brief career. Standing six-foot-four, Mitchell was selected 23rd in the 1983 draft by the Indiana Pacers but was quickly traded to the Chicago Bulls.

In his first year, Mitchell had a solid run, playing all 82 games and averaging 12.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Before his second season, Mitchell was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played for four seasons as a role player.

During his time in Houston, he was suspended by the league for testing positive for cocaine, alongside teammate Lewis Lloyd.

Due to his suspension, Mitchell missed two entire seasons but returned to play 66 games for the Rockets in 1989-90, which would be his final season with the team.

The next season, Mitchell did not play for any team and remained unsigned with no offers. The Philadelphia 76ers took a chance on him, and he played 49 games for them. That marked the end of his NBA career, after which he started playing basketball overseas.

In his six-season NBA career, Mitchell averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.