NBA Champion Says He Regrets Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait during the Golden State Warriors Media Day at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. on Sept. 27, 2021. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Golden State Warriors forward and NBA Champion Andrew Wiggins suggested he regrets getting the COVID-19 vaccine during the 2021–2022 season, even though he won a championship.

“I still wish I didn’t get it (the vaccinate), to be honest with you,” Wiggins, 27, told FanSided this week.

Wiggins said that the only way he would be able to play last season is if he got the shot due to San Francisco’s COVID-19 rules around vaccines. Throughout the season, he refused to get the shot and claimed a religious exemption before he was ultimately denied and had to receive the vaccine in October in order to play.

“I did it,” he said, referring to getting the shot. “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, but he stated that he was forced to get the shot against his will.

“But for my body, I just don’t like putting all that stuff in my body, so I didn’t like that. ... It wasn’t my choice. I didn’t like that it was either get this or don’t play,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins previously said he is the only member of his family that received the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that “it’s not really something we believe in.”

Other Players

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, because he wouldn’t take the vaccine, was denied the ability to play for his team during home games throughout much of the season. Several months ago, New York City Mayor Eric Adams rolled back the city’s vaccination requirement for athletes, allowing him to play.

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) walks onto the court after a time-out during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

“I can really say that I stood firm on what I believed in, what I wanted to do with my body,” Irving told ESPN earlier this year. “I think that should be not just an American right, I think that should be a human right.”

Irving added that “I was called so many different names. ... It was part of a struggle of mine to look at the season, a game that I love—my job.”

“I can’t even keep calling it a game, it’s my job—[for] that to be stripped away based on a mandate or something that was in place,” he said.

Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic stands as others kneel before the start of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic on July 31, 2020. Ashley Landis/Getty Images

The Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac, meanwhile, similarly declined the vaccine, remarking that “it felt forced.”

“Viewing it, it seemed forced,” Isaac said during an interview. “It seemed that there was so much pressure in doing it. I don’t see the wisdom in putting something into my body that’s not going to stop me from getting the virus or transmitting it. That is why I decided to be the only player on my team to not get vaccinated.”