Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins declined to reveal whether he would receive the COVID-19 vaccine and remained vague about his current status during the team’s media day on Monday.
Wiggins is reportedly unvaccinated, which would make him ineligible to play during the team’s home games at Chase Center this season.
While the NBA does not mandate that a player is inoculated, local ordinances can overrule those guidelines, as is the case in San Francisco.
The city requires all patrons age 12 and older, including players or performers, at "large and mega indoor events," such as Warriors games at the 18,000 seat Chase Center, be fully vaccinated against the virus. Unvaccinated individuals are forbidden from entering the premises and cannot test out of the requirement.
The Warriors held their annual preseason media day at Chase Center on Monday, where Wiggins spoke publicly for the first time since the San Francisco Chronicle reported last week about the growing concerns within the organization surrounding the 26-year-old’s availability for the upcoming season due to his unvaccinated status.
"I'm just going to keep all that private right now,” Wiggins told reporters when asked directly whether he received the vaccine. “Anything that has to do with my status, vaccination, I'm going to keep it personal, private."
Wiggins must receive his shot or shots 14 days prior to the team’s first regular season home game on Oct. 21 in order to be eligible to play.
“It’s none of your business. I don’t ask you guys about your beliefs, I don’t ask what you think is right,” he responded when asked by he doesn’t explain the reasoning behind his decision.
“I’m gonna keep fighting for what I believe,” he added.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers did not directly comment on Wiggins or any players’ vaccination status, however he said, "I'm optimistic come the first game at Chase (Center) we'll have our full complement of players (available).”
Head coach Steve Kerr echoed those sentiments.
"I haven’t spent any time thinking about that, nor will I," he said regarding Wiggins’ situation. "We’ll see how everything plays out and we’re hopeful that it all is resolved in another couple of weeks. We’re going into camp tomorrow with a plan to have everyone out on the floor."
Wiggins was the Warriors’ second leading scorer last season behind All-Star Stephen Curry.
The team’s first preseason home game is Oct. 6 at Chase Center.
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