Andrew Christian Wiggins was born on February 23, 1995. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas and is the second Canadian player ever, to be taken number one overall in the NBA Draft. His talent and athleticism have drawn comparisons to Tracy McGrady.
Wiggins was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in nearby Thornhill, a neighborhood of Vaughan, Ontario. He is the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, an American, and former Olympic track and field sprinter Marita Payne-Wiggins, a Canadian who is originally from Barbados. His parents met as student-athletes at Florida State University.
Wiggins attended Vaughan Secondary School in Vaughan for two years before transferring to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia in 2011.
Wiggins had been rated as the top prospect for 2014, but announced in October 2012 that he would officially reclassify into his original high school class of 2013 and was immediately placed ahead of the previous number one prospect, Jabari Parker, by ESPN.
On February 7, 2013, after an article in Sports Illustrated criticized Canadian basketball and Wiggins’ work ethic, he responded later that day, scoring 57 points in a 111-59 win over Marietta College.
Wiggins was named the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year on February 25. He was named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year on March 28 as the nation’s top high school player. He was the first Canadian player to be so named. In May 2013, he was named Mr. Basketball USA. He was ranked the number one high school basketball player by SLAM Magazine.
In April 2013, Wiggins played in the Jordan Brand Classic All-American game in Brooklyn. He scored 19 points and tied Julius Randle for lead scorer for the East team.
Wiggins committed to the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team on May 14, 2013. Before the announcement, he had narrowed his choices to Florida State University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Kansas and the University of North Carolina. Wiggins joined the Kansas team on June 19, 2013
On January 13, 2014, Wiggins scored 17 points and collected 19 rebounds in a 77-70 victory over Iowa State, becoming only the second freshman in the last 15 years (along with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) to amass those numbers in a win against a ranked opponent.
Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and made 34.1% of his three-pointers in his freshman year at Kansas. On January 22, 2014, the Los Angeles Athletic Club named Wiggins a Top 25 finalist for the John R. Wooden Men’s Player of the Year award. On February 28, he was named one of the 10 semi-finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year.
On March 8, 2014, Wiggins scored 41 points against West Virginia, the most for a Big 12 Conference freshman since Michael Beasley scored 44 points against Baylor in 2008.
Wiggins declared for the 2014 NBA Draft on March 31, 2014. He was selected first overall in the draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 26, 2014. On July 24, 2014 he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers.
