Andrew Wiggins Receives The Wisdom Of The Sages From Dwyane Wade
Andrew Wiggins and Dwyane Wade have given fans one more heartwarming reason to love the NBA league.
According to ESPN, after the Miami Heat defeated the Timberwolves on Sunday, Dwyane Wade approached rookie shooting guard Andrew Wiggins and offered him a few words of advise.
Dime Magazine reported that Coach Flip Saunders charged Wiggins with guarding Wade as part of his strategy to test the mettle of the rookie. Although the Miami Heat veteran got the best of the 19-year-old by scoring 6 points in the game’s last three minutes, Wade was obviously still impressed his skills.
Immediately after the clock struck zeros, Wade went out of his way share a few words with Wiggins.
Wiggins shared what Wade said to him in an interview with ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez.
“He asked me if I wanted to be great, I said yes. He said I’ve got all the tools to be great, just keep working. Those words at the end of the game just motivate me,already I’m thinking about what he said, and it’s going to carry through for a long time now. He’s one of the people I watched growing up, one of the people I idolized. That guy right there is great.”
The Inquisitr reported that Wiggins was to have been mentored by LeBron James as he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he missed this opportunity and was traded to the Timberwolves.
Wiggins was born in Toronto, and is the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, an American, and former sprinter Marita Payne-Wiggins, a Canadian who is originally from Barbados. His parents met as student athletes at Florida State University.
Wiggins declared for the 2014 NBA draft on March 31, 2014. He was selected first overall in the draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 26, 2014, becoming just the second Canadian ever picked number one in the draft, since Anthony Bennett, the first overall draft pick of the 2013 NBA draft. On July 24, 2014, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers.
On August 23, 2014, a three-team trade was completed involving the Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the deal, Wiggins and teammate Anthony Bennett were traded to the Wolves, along with Thaddeus Young, then of the Sixers.
On October 29, 2014, Wiggins made his NBA debut in the Timberwolves’ season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. In 18 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in the 101-105 loss.
[Image credit :Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports]
