Mitchell Lee Wiggins (born September 28, 1959) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played the shooting guard position.

Early life

Wiggins attended North Lenoir High School in

LaGrange, North Carolina La Grange is a town in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,873 based on the 2010 census. La Grange is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Geography La Grange is located at (35.308583, -77.792118). Ac ...

College career

He played collegiately at

Truett-McConnell College Truett McConnell University is a private Baptist university in Cleveland, Georgia. It is operated under the auspices of the Georgia Baptist Convention and controlled by a board of trustees elected by the convention. The university was named t ...

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

and Florida State University. Wiggins averaged 23 points and nine

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

per game during his two seasons at Florida State.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (1983-1984)

Wiggins was selected by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

as the 23rd overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft. He never played for the Pacers, spending his rookie year playing in all 82

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability ...

games while averaging twelve points, four rebounds and two assists per game for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

Houston Rockets (1984-1987)

In the 1984 off-season, Wiggins signed with the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

, fighting for a berth in the starting lineup with

Lewis Lloyd Lewis Kevin Lloyd (February 22, 1959 – July 5, 2019) was an American basketball player. A 6'6" swingman from Drake University, he played most of his professional career for the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets. Early life Nick ...

. In late 1986, however, after the Rockets appeared in the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

, losing to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

, the pair tested positive for

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

, incurring a two-and-a-half-year suspension from the league.

Return to Houston (1989-1990)

Both Wiggins and Lloyd were reinstated for the 1989–90 season. Wiggins appeared in 66 games and averaging 15.5 ppg but was criticized by his coach, Don Chaney, for his defense. His playing time decreased after Houston traded for Vernon Maxwell.

Philadelphia 76ers (1991-1992)

After Wiggins became a free agent, no team expressed an interest in Wiggins outside the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. They had intended to sign Wiggins to their roster in November 1990, but backed out when he refused to take a complete physical including a drug test. Wiggins did not play the 1990-91 season, but the 76ers kept in touch with him and signed him to a one-year contract the following year. The 1991-92 season was Wiggins's last in the NBA. He scored 3,877 points in his NBA career.

Greek League, CSP Limoges, Tondeña 65 Rhummasters, and minor leagues (1993-2003)

Wiggins then went to Europe and had a notable career in the Greek League playing for Milon Nea Smyrni, Sporting Athens, and Panionios Nea Smyrni. He also appeared for CSP Limoges in the

French League The French League (: "French League for purging, mutual aid and European collaboration") was a collaborationist French movement founded by Pierre Costantini in September 1940. Its journal was entitled '' L'Appel''. Bibliography * Pierre Phi ...

, the Tondeña 65 Rhummasters in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

, and several minor league teams in the United States.

Coaching career

In the 2000s Wiggins tried coaching in the lower leagues.

National team career

Wiggins played for the US national basketball team at the

1982 FIBA World Championship The 1982 FIBA World Championship was the 9th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by Colombia from 15 to 28 August 1982. Qualification Venues Competing natio ...

, winning the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, e ...

Personal life

Wiggins' wife,

Marita Payne-Wiggins Marita Payne-Wiggins (born October 7, 1960) is a Canadian former track and field athlete who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics. She is the co- Canadian record holder in the 400 metres, along with Jillian Richardson, and previously h ...

, competed for Canada in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

at the 1984 Summer Olympics, winning two silver medals. Since 2002, their family has resided in

Vaughan, Ontario Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

, Canada.Dodd, Rustin
KU's Andrew Wiggins followed Naismith's path to Lawrence
''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

''. Accessed on March 22, 2014. Wiggins' youngest son,

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

was selected first overall in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Wiggins' oldest son, Mitchell Jr. played for Southeastern University and his middle son Nicholas Wiggins plays professionally. Both Mitchell Jr. and Nick were drafted by the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...

in 2014. Wiggins also has three daughters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggins, Mitchell 1959 births Living people African-American basketball players American emigrants to Canada American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players from North Carolina Chicago Bulls players Clemson Tigers men's basketball players Doping cases in basketball Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Fort Wayne Fury players Houston Rockets players Indiana Pacers draft picks Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Limoges CSP players Milon B.C. players National Basketball Association players banned for drug offenses Oklahoma City Cavalry players Panionios B.C. players People from Kinston, North Carolina People from Vaughan Philadelphia 76ers players Philippine Basketball Association imports Quad City Thunder players Shooting guards Sporting basketball players United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 1982 FIBA World Championship players