Warriors' Andrew Wiggins Discusses 'Tough Decision' to Get COVID-19 Vaccine

Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins explained Monday night why he received the COVID-19 vaccine after initially opting against it.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweeted a video of Wiggins' response when asked why he got vaccinated:

Wiggins told reporters: "I feel the only option was to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA. It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run. Ten years, I'm still healthy."

The 26-year-old's vaccination status became a much-talked-about issue Sept. 1 when it was announced the NBA would follow local COVID-19 protocols in both New York City and San Francisco.

New York and San Francisco have implemented or are implementing rules that will require anyone over the age of 12 to be vaccinated when at indoor venues. Had Wiggins not gotten vaccinated, he could not have played in the Warriors' home games.

Wiggins made an attempt to bypass the vaccine by requesting a religious exemption; however, the NBA denied his request.

With the 2021-22 regular season approaching and Wiggins' back against the wall, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr announced Sunday that Wiggins had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Regarding Wiggins' vaccination status, Kerr said: "Andrew got vaccinated. He just told me today that he was fine with us acknowledging it, and that will be the end of it. I'm not going to answer any questions beyond that."

Wiggins figures to be a key player this season on a Warriors team with championship aspirations.

The Dubs acquired Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2019-20 season in a trade that sent guard D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota.

In his first full season with the Warriors in 2020-21, Wiggins averaged 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 three-pointers made per game. He also shot 47.7 percent from the floor and 38.0 percent from three, both career bests.

The No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft is penciled in as Golden State's starting small forward, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson (eventually), Draymond Green and James Wiseman filling out the lineup.

After going to five straight NBA Finals, the Warriors posted the NBA's worst record in 2019-20 when Thompson missed the entire season and Curry missed nearly the entire season.

The Warriors narrowly missed the playoffs last season despite MVP-caliber basketball from Curry, although Thompson missed his second consecutive season.

With Thompson eventually returning to a strong core, there is optimism among Warriors fans that they could be back in the mix as championship contenders.

Wiggins and the Dubs will get back to business Oct. 19 when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on the road in their season opener.