Mitchell Wiggins

Mitchell Lee Wiggins (born September 28, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played the shooting guard position.

Mitchell Wiggins
Personal information
Born (1959-09-28) September 28, 1959
Kinston, North Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Lenoir
(LaGrange, North Carolina)
College
NBA draft1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career1983–2003
PositionShooting guard
Number15, 10
Career history
1983–1984Chicago Bulls
1984–1987Houston Rockets
1987Tampa Bay Stars
1987–1988Mississippi Jets
1987–1988Quad City Thunder
1988Jacksonville Hooters
1989–1990Houston Rockets
1991–1992Philadelphia 76ers
1992Fort Wayne Fury
1992–1993Oklahoma City Cavalry
1993Aurora Desio
1993–1994Milon
1994Tondeña 65 Rhummasters
1994–1996Sporting
1996–1997Panionios
1997–1998Sporting
1998–1999Limoges CSP
2002Hickory Nutz
2002–2003Spearfish Black Hills Heat
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing  United States
FIBA World Cup
1982 Colombia

High school / college career

Wiggins attended North Lenoir High School in LaGrange, North Carolina. He played collegiately at Truett-McConnell College, Clemson University and Florida State University.

Wiggins averaged 23 points and nine rebounds per game during his two seasons at Florida State.

Professional career

Wiggins was selected by the Indiana Pacers 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 games while averaging twelve points, four rebounds and two assists per game for the Chicago Bulls.

In the 1984 off-season, Wiggins signed with the Houston Rockets, fighting for a berth in the starting lineup with Lewis Lloyd. In late 1986, however, after the Rockets appeared in the 1986 NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics, the pair tested positive for cocaine, incurring a two-and-a-half-year suspension from the league.[1]

Both Wiggins and Lloyd were reinstated for the 1989–90 season,[2] but the latter was soon released. Wiggins then enjoyed his best season in the NBA, appearing in 66 games and averaging 15.5 ppg; he was then also released. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1991–92 season, his last in the NBA. He scored 3,877 points in his NBA career.

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 Tondeña 65 Rhummasters in the Philippine Basketball Association, and several minor league teams in the United States.[3]

In the 2000s, Wiggins took a hand at coaching, in the lower leagues.[4][5]

National team career

Wiggins played for the US national basketball team at the 1982 FIBA World Championship, winning the silver medal.[6]

Personal life

Wiggins' youngest son, Andrew, was regarded as a top prospect at 18 years of age for top-tier college basketball programs in the United States,[7] and as of December 2012 was rated as the top prospect in the recruiting class of 2013. He was selected first overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, making him the third Canadian player selected by the team in four years.[8] He currently plays for the Golden State Warriors. His oldest son, Mitchell Jr. played for Southeastern University and his middle son Nick Wiggins plays for the Idaho Stampede. Both Mitchell Jr. and Nick were drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters in 2014.[9] He also has three daughters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya.[10] His wife, Marita Payne-Wiggins, competed for Canada in track and field at the 1984 Summer Olympics, winning two silver medals.[8] Since 2002, the family has resided in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada.[11]

See also

References
  1. Lloyd and Wiggins of Rockets banned for drug use; The New York Times, 14 January 1987
  2. Lloyd reinstated; The New York Times, 9 September 1989
  3. Basketpedya career data
  4. Area scene: Ex-Rocket Wiggins to coach Spearfish XBA; Rapid City Journal, 29 November 2002
  5. http://basketball.usbasket.com/team/Spearfish_Black_Hills_Heat/5439
  6. 1982 USA Basketball Archived 2007-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Andrew Wiggins: Next superstar?; NBADraft.net
  8. Medcalf, Myron (July 9, 2012). "From Canada to college basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  9. "Southeastern Forward Mitchell Wiggins Jr. Selected By Globetrotters". The Lakeland Ledger. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  10. "Nick Wiggins Bio". Wichita State University. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  11. Dodd, Rustin. KU's Andrew Wiggins followed Naismith's path to Lawrence The Kansas City Star. Accessed on March 22, 2014.
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