Warriors Player Andrew Wiggins Says He Felt NBA ‘Forced’ Him To Get COVID-19 Vaccine: The Only Options Were To Get Vaccinated Or Not Play

October 5, 2021 by Nick Fenley in Sports with 0 Comments

Warriors Player Andrew Wiggins Says He Felt NBA ‘Forced’ Him To Get COVID-19 Vaccine: The Only Options Were To Get Vaccinated Or Not Play

Andrew Wiggins is dishing on how he felt “forced” to get vaccinated for COVID-19!

Yesterday (Monday, Oct. 4th), the Golden State Warriors took on the Portland Trailblazers during the teams’ preseason opener. After the game, Andrew Wiggins spoke on his recent decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and said he felt he had no other option but to get vaccinated:

“The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA. It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I’m still healthy.”

While he felt obligated to get the vaccine, Andrew Wiggins clarified that he didn’t harbor any negative feelings towards the Golden State Warriors. He also expressed support for people who “stand for what they believe” and refuse the vaccine.

“They didn’t make the rule. But I guess to do certain stuff, to work, I guess you don’t own your body. That’s what it comes down to. If you want to work in society today, then I guess they made the rules of what goes in your body and what you do. Hopefully, there’s a lot of people out there that are stronger than me and keep fighting, stand for what they believe, and–hopefully–it works out for them.”

The 26-year-old athlete continued, suggesting he is concerned about what the vaccine could do to his future health:

“I know a lot of people get reactions or injuries from getting the vaccination, so I don’t know what it’s going to do to me in 10 years. I feel like I could go on for days about why I didn’t want to get it. Most importantly, I don’t know what’s going to happen or what it’s going to do to my body in 10, 20 years… But I guess it’s something that had to get done.”

Andrew Wiggins then revealed that, while he got the COVID-19 vaccine, his family is standing firm in remaining unvaccinated:

“It’s not really something we believe in as a family. They know that I had to. It came down to get the vaccination or don’t play basketball. I’m 26. I have two kids. I want more kids. I’m trying to do something that will generate as much money as I can for my kids and my future kids, [create] generational wealth. So, I took the gamble, took the risk, and hopefully, I’m good.”

It’s worth noting that Andrew Wiggins chose to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and he’s gotten one dose so far. Regarding his decision to do so, he said:

“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.”

Andrew Wiggins‘ statements come about a week after the NBA announced that unvaccinated players won’t get paid for missed games. Additionally, it comes after he said he would not share his vaccination status, calling it a “private matter.”