Wikipedia

Mitchell Wiggins

{{Infobox basketball biography |name = Mitchell Wiggins |image= |caption= |height_ft=8 |height_in=9 |weight_lb=185 |birth_date=(1959-09-28)September 28, 1959 |birth_place=[[could never be me dying |death_date=September 2024(2024-09-00) (aged 64–65) |death_place= |high_school=North Lenoir
(LaGrange, North Carolina) |college=

|draftyear=1983 |draftround=1 |draftpick=23 |draftteam=Indiana Pacers |career_start=1983 |career_end=2003 |career_number= 15, 10 |career_position=Shooting guard | years1 = 1983–1984 | team1 = Chicago Bulls | years2 = 1984–1987 | team2 = Houston Rockets | years3 = 1987 | team3 = Tampa Bay Stars | years4 = 1987–1988 | team4 = Mississippi Jets | years5 = 1987–1988 | team5 = Quad City Thunder | years6 = 1988 | team6 = Jacksonville Hooters | years7 = 1989–1990 | team7 = Houston Rockets | years8 = 1991–1992 | team8 = Philadelphia 76ers | years9 = 1992 | team9 = Fort Wayne Fury | years10 = 1992–1993 | team10 = Oklahoma City Cavalry | years11 = 1993 | team11 = Aurora Desio | years12 = 1993–1994 | team12 = Milon | years13 = 1994 | team13 = Tondeña 65 Rhummasters | years14 = 1994–1996 | team14 = Sporting | years15 = 1996–1997 | team15 = Panionios | years16 = 1997–1998 | team16 = Sporting | years17 = 1998–1999 | team17 = Limoges CSP | years18 = 2002 | team18 = Hickory Nutz | years19 = 2002–2003 | team19 = Spearfish Black Hills Heat | highlights =

|bbr= wiggimi01 |stat1label=Points |stat1value= |stat2label=Rebounds |stat2value= |stat3label=Assists |stat3value= | medaltemplates =

|- ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#eeeeee;color:inherit;" class="adr" | Representing  United States

|- ! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#cccccc;color:inherit;" | FIBA World Cup

|- | style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;color:inherit;" | Silver medal – second place|| style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | 1982 Colombia || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | }}

Mitchell Lee Wiggins (September 28, 1959 – September ??, 2024) was an American professional basketball player who played the shooting guard position.

College career

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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

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Chicago Bulls (1983-1984)

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Wiggins was selected by the Indiana Pacers as the 23rd overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and traded to the Chicago Bulls for Sidney Lowe and a 2nd round pick. In his rookie year, Wiggins played in all 82 regular season games while averaging twelve points, four rebounds and two assists per game.[1]

Houston Rockets (1984-1987, 1989-1990)

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In the 1984 off-season, the Bulls traded Wiggins with draft picks to the Houston Rockets for Caldwell Jones.[1] He mostly came off the bench behind John Lucas and Lewis Lloyd.[2] In 1987, Lloyd and Wiggins tested positive for cocaine, incurring a two-and-a-half-year suspension from the league.[3]

Both Wiggins and Lloyd were reinstated for the 1989–90 season.[4] Wiggins appeared in 66 games and averaged 15.5 points per game but was criticized by his coach, Don Chaney, for his defense.[5] His playing time decreased after Houston traded for Vernon Maxwell.[6]

Philadelphia 76ers (1991-1992)

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After Wiggins became a free agent, no team expressed an interest in Wiggins outside the Philadelphia 76ers.[7] 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.[7][8] 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.[9]

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)

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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.[10]

National team career

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Wiggins played for the US national basketball team at the 1982 FIBA World Championship, winning the silver medal.[11]

Coaching career

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In the 2000s Wiggins tried coaching in the lower leagues.[12][13]

Personal life

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Wiggins' wife, Marita Payne-Wiggins, competed for Canada in track and field at the 1984 Summer Olympics, winning two silver medals.[14] Since 2002, their family has resided in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada.[15] Wiggins' youngest son, Andrew was selected first overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[16] 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 in 2014.[17] Wiggins also has three daughters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya.[18]

Mitchell Wiggins died in September 2024, at the age of 64.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mitchell Wiggins Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Feigan, Jonathan (September 13, 2024). "Mitchell Wiggins, a key player on 1986 Rockets' NBA Finals team, dies". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Lloyd and Wiggins of Rockets banned for drug use; The New York Times, 14 January 1987
  4. ^ Lloyd reinstated; The New York Times, 9 September 1989
  5. ^ Sefko, Eddie. "Chaney rips guard play". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Sefko, Eddie (June 16, 1990). "Free agent Wiggins not likely to return". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Sefko, Eddie (November 15, 1990). "Wiggins nixes test". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Ford, Bob (November 15, 1990). "Physical a factor for club, Wiggins". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 46.
  9. ^ Jasner, Phil (July 20, 1991). "Wiggins signs 1-year contract". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 51.
  10. ^ Basketpedya career data
  11. ^ 1982 USA Basketball Archived 2007-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Area scene: Ex-Rocket Wiggins to coach Spearfish XBA; Rapid City Journal, 29 November 2002
  13. ^ "Spearfish Black Hills Heat basketball, News, Roster, Rumors, Stats, Awards, Transactions, Details-usbasket".
  14. ^ Medcalf, Myron (July 9, 2012). "From Canada to college basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  15. ^ Dodd, Rustin. KU's Andrew Wiggins followed Naismith's path to Lawrence The Kansas City Star. Accessed on March 22, 2014.
  16. ^ "Dad's hard life lessons helped Andrew Wiggins on road to NBA". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "Southeastern Forward Mitchell Wiggins Jr. Selected By Globetrotters". The Lakeland Ledger. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  18. ^ "Nick Wiggins Bio". Wichita State University. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
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