Canada recently announced a 14-player “Summer Core” for the leadup to the 2024 Olympics, including 11 NBA players. Andrew Wiggins was asked recently why his name wasn’t among the 14 players announced and he had the following to say:
> “They wanted a long-term commitment. Right now, (my priority) is for the Golden State Warriors. I got kids. I got family. I got a life outside of basketball,” Wiggins explained. “So, to commit three years to the Warriors and to Canada Basketball, it wouldn’t make sense to me… I spend the whole time in-season with the Warriors, and summertime I get to decide.”
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> Team Canada coach Nick Nurse said that players who don’t commit to the three-year cycle will “have to hope there is a spot” for them when it’s time to pick the Olympics squad. Wiggins hopes that could include him, but he’s got no hard feelings if it doesn’t.
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> “I would love to play if they made the Olympics,” Wiggins said. “But I won’t do no three-year commitment, you know? If not — I wouldn’t lose no sleep over it if they didn’t let me. If they didn’t, that would be on them.”
[Article](https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/canadians-in-the-nba-roundup-andrew-wiggins-would-love-to-play-in-the-olympics/)
Wiggins would without a doubt be an important piece on Team Canada for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics. What do you make of Wiggins’ unwillingness to commit to Team Canada outside of the Olympics?
by UTM20
27 Comments
Legacy points deducted
this is why team canada sucks ass. no one wants to commit
makes sense
Olympic basketball kinda a joke
He’ll have a spot for sure lol.. we need him if we want to get a medal.
I do like what nurse is trying to do.. every other country has their players playing together every summer. Canada and USA are the ones that don’t and Canada doesn’t have that high level superstars that can just dominate on talent alone.
I’m just glad SGA RJ and Murray committed. We can build a solid team around those 3
Dude just won a championship.
He doesn’t need to prove anything anymore.
So he wants other guys to get them there, and then take a spot from someone else?
I’m with Wiggins on this. 3 year commitment is kinda silly.
Imagine if a soccer player said this nonsense
The national team would be playing and practicing all through the summer, so it makes sense if he’s got other things going on and didn’t want to commit long term.
Doesn’t sit right with me though
That seems like a pretty reasonable position to hold, honestly.
He will still be on the team they need him
For the record Canadian schools are excellent, he must’ve picked up those grammar habits in Minnesota.
I wished Luka had this same mindset but the guy goes to Slovenia every off season for nothing. Gets eliminated early from every tournament and wastes his time.
Not everyone lives basketball 24/7 like KD
Totally reasonable perspective.
As much as I’d like Canada to exclude him if they made it, he’s too much of an upgrade over some random euro league player.
asking a 3 year commitment is a lot you are not the Redeem Team lol
No star player coming off a deep playoffs run and a ring is going to want to run drills with their national team over the summer. There’s barely any recovery time as it is. Guy knows that team Canada needs him more than he needs them. There will 100% be a spot for him if they qualify.
It’s reasonable for him to say this but there’s still this part of me that wants every good to great Canadian player to always commit to anything that could bolster Team Canada’s chances. Can’t help it, as a Canadian. We don’t have boundless talent to rely on like Team USA, although obviously our talent has massively improved in recent years.
Understandable.
He’s not about that life and that’s fine.
Such a perfect answer considering I’m a dubs fan..
I mean, this isn’t just Wiggins. Its pretty common for top athletes to have as much rest as possible. Even Curry hasn’t have a medal in the Olympics.
Punk
Totally understand Wiggins. Why commit to three summers of wear and tear, and risk of injury for a team that isn’t going to medal? Negative EV.
Selfish a$$. All about himself this guy. Was a turd in MN and GS had him flourish in their system. This guy has no pride for country, teammates just himself.