Wiggins gets rock star reception in his hometown
TORONTO — For all of the deserved love all-stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are getting this weekend, it’s pretty clear Toronto basketball fans have their eyes on someone else as well.
Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant might be the faces of the NBA, but Andrew Wiggins is the face of Canadian basketball.
And in Toronto, just a little south of his hometown of Vaughan, Wiggins is treated like a king.
There have been huge crowds at every appearance Wiggins has made all weekend and Friday night, he was the player everyone came to see at the Rising Stars Challenge.
He got the loudest roar during player introductions and as the game neared its end, “And-drew Wig-gins,” chants started to fill the Air Canada Centre. When he went to the free throw line minutes later, “M-V-P, M-V-P,” was the new call from the audience.
Wiggins, who doesn’t turn 21 until Feb. 23, finished with 29 points, missing just two shot attempts (both three-pointers) while handing out five assists.
He didn’t earn MVP honours, Minnesota teammate Zach LaVine did for leading Team USA over Wiggins and Team World, but he was certainly one of the best players on the floor. And definitely the most popular. “That’s what I feel like he should get. He’s a rock star in his hometown,” LaVine said of Wiggins.
Wiggins recently became the sixth youngest player to get to 2,000 career points.
Only James, Durant and Carmelo Anthony did it in fewer games.
Asked if he was upset LaVine took his MVP trophy, Wiggins alluded to a rosy future in Minnesota.
“No, I got it last year. He got it this year,” Wiggins said.
“(Towns is) going to get it next year, three Timberwolves back to back to back.”
Masai Ujiri has a plan of his own — repatriate Wiggins — but it won’t happen anytime soon.
Contractually, Minnesota has control over Wiggins until at least the end of the 2018-19 season, likely longer, since Wiggins would have to make some risky financial decisions and turn down a lot of guaranteed money to force his way home.