Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins said that he still regrets his decision to get the COVID-19 vaccination despite winning an NBA championship.
In an interview with sports-based website FanSided published Wednesday, Wiggins said it wasn’t his decision to get vaccinated against the virus, though he accomplished many personal goals last season.
“I still wish I didn’t get [vaccinated], to be honest with you,” Wiggins told FanSided. “I did it, and I was an All-Star this year and champion, so that was the good part, just not missing out on the year, the best year of my career.”
Wiggins added that he got vaccinated so he wouldn’t have to sit out games due to a San Francisco vaccine mandate that required proof of vaccination to attend large indoor events.
“But for my body, I just don’t like putting all that stuff in my body, so I didn’t like that, and I didn’t like that it wasn’t my choice,” Wiggins said. “I didn’t like that it was either get this or don’t play.”
Wiggins made headlines last fall for being one of the few prominent NBA players, along with Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving and Jonathan Isaac, who publicly expressed that they were hesitant to get vaccinated.
Irving, whose future with the Brooklyn Nets is in limbo, was available only for road games last season due to New York City’s vaccine mandate for indoor activities, though the city lifted its mandate in March.
The NBA previously denied Wiggins’s request for a religious exemption from getting the COVID-19 vaccine as well.
The 27-year-old Canadian earned his first NBA All-Star appearance last season and played a pivotal role in helping the Warriors win their first NBA championship since 2018, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games.