Representing Canada isn’t Andrew Wiggins’ highest priority in basketball.
The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons publicized the awkward relationship between the Minnesota Timberwolves forward and Canada’s basketball federation on Wednesday in a column titled “Does Andrew Wiggins really want to play for Canada?” Wiggins hasn’t played for his country since September 2015, and Simmons believes the brazen demands the NBA star made of Canada Basketball years ago during their initial conversations are primary reasons for his ongoing exile from the international game.
“The back-and-forth went something like this: If you want Andrew to play, it’s going to cost you money,” Simmons wrote. “And if you want Andrew, you’re going to want his brothers, too. This wasn’t your typical tryout invitation and recruiting session. This was part-negotiation, part-stick-up, or so the story goes.”
Canada initially gave in to Wiggins’ demands in an effort to reach the finals of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, earn direct qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Doing so would have ended Canada’s Olympic basketball absence, which dates back to 2000, and Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, should have advanced their cause.
“And Canada Basketball did what it believed was necessary at the time,” Simmons continues. “It apparently paid decent money for Wiggins to play for Team Canada. No one will tell you how much is pretty good money, but an organization without a lot of cash, had to come up with some.”
However, Canada failed to reach its goal with Wiggins in tow, and he has declined invitations to return to the team ever since.
But Canada Basketball’s attention is turning toward reaching the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Will Wiggins, who signed a five-year, $148 million contract extension last year, repeat his demands from the national federation for payment and the selection of his brothers, Nick and Mitchell Jr.? The fifth-year NBA forward didn’t reveal much Wednesday when reporters asked him.
“I’m going to try and play, but we’ll see what happens,” Wiggins said.
That answer shouldn’t fill Canada basketball fans with confidence.
