Heartbreaking reason behind Andrew Wiggins’ NBA absence revealed

It’s been revealed why Andrew Wiggins has missed the Golden State Warriors’ past 22 games after sordid rumours were spread online.

Andrew Wiggins hasn't played while dealing with a personal matter.

The Warriors are getting a boost in the playoffs as they seek to defend their championship.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Andrew Wiggins is “nearing a return” to Golden State after missing the team’s last 22 games due to previously undisclosed personal family matters.

Wiggins, 28, left the team in mid-February because his dad Mitchell, a former NBA player, was dealing with “a serious medical situation,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday.

It had been unclear if or when Wiggins would return to the Warriors this season.

It’s a big deal for the Warriors as they mount their title defence, as the team has been up and down this season and currently is seeded sixth in the West with a 41-38 record.

Golden State is just one game ahead of the Lakers for the seventh seed and an unwanted berth in the play-in round, with three games left to play in the regular season.

Wiggins was arguably the Warriors’ second most important player in last year’s NBA Finals. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Wiggins, an All-Star last season, has appeared in 37 games for the Warriors this season and was a starter in all of them.

There had been sordid rumours spreading on social media about the reason for Wiggins’ absence, and people close to him slammed the innuendo.

Wiggin’s girlfriend, Mychal Johnson, tweeted in March that “the internet is really a sick place.”

Johnson sent another tweet that said: “The farthest thing from the truth. It’s sad y’all even doing this.”

Sordid rumours were spread about Wiggins’ relationship. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Draymond Green also spoke out against the rumour-mongering on his Volume podcast.

“I want to let you all know about how absolutely ridiculous most of you people are at life,” Green said. “The fact that a rumour about Andrew Wiggins — I don’t know if it’s true. I’m not here to confirm whether it’s true or not. I really don’t care, like it ain’t got nothing to do with me.

“You hear stuff like that and you care for like him and her, like and their children. So I care from that perspective. But whether what y’all said is true or not really has no bearing on my life nor does it have any bearing on your life.

“ … The fact that people are so bad at evaluating basketball that you start to run with someone’s personal life, trying to decide why they’re not playing basketball.”

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also expressed his support for Wiggins, calling him a great player, teammate and human being.

This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission