Andrew Wiggins will not play for Team Canada at the Paris Olympics later this summer because the Golden State Warriors have blocked his involvement, according to Doug Smith. Training camp for the Canadian national team will open on Friday.
The exact reason why the Warriors are playing hardball with the Canadian Olympic Committee is unclear. Trade rumors involving Wiggins have been circulating for months. John Hollinger also suggested that there is a medical concern, which Smith co-signed. Michael Grange then reported that although Wiggins had been insured and cleared medically by Canada Basketball, the Warriors raised concerns at the last minute regarding his ankle problems last season.
Wiggins had been included on the training camp roster but was non-committal last month when asked if he would be on the plane to Paris.
“Stay tuned,” Wiggins said. “They had a great summer last year when they had qualified for the Olympics. All those guys did their thing and really put on [a show] for the country, and I’d be honored to play for our country. “We’ll see what happens, you know, you guys just stay tuned and, you know, we’ll see what the road brings.”
The former No. 1 overall pick is one of the most high-profile players in Canadian basketball history but has not competed for his country since the 2020 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Notably, he was not a part of the team that defeated Team USA in the bronze medal game at the FIBA World Cup last summer — their inaugural medal at the event — and qualified for the 2024 Olympics. This will be Canada’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2000, and they will have a real chance to medal for the first time since winning silver in 1936.
Wiggins is coming off a frustrating season with the Warriors in which his numbers dropped across the board, and he briefly lost his spot in the starting lineup. He averaged 13.2 points — the fewest of his career — and 4.5 rebounds on 45.3% shooting, and his sub-par play was one of the reasons the Warriors missed out on the playoffs. He missed multiple contests towards the end of the season with an ankle injury but did return for the Play-In Tournament. According to The Ringer, the Warriors have been “aggressively” shopping Wiggins in recent weeks.
