Wiggins 'retired' dunks, won't challenge LaVine
Andrew Wiggins has become one of the most electrifying dunkers in the NBA, but don’t look for him to challenge Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Zach LaVine, the reigning Verizon Slam Dunk champion, any time soon.
“My story is, I lost in high school, right when I was in the McDonald’s [All-]American Game, so I really don’t do … dunks anymore,” Wiggins said during an interview with ESPN.com. “I kind of retired that back, left that in high school, so I don’t really do it anymore.
“Right now, you can give it to him [LaVine]. I won’t be doing all the surprise dunks. I just keep it simple — one hand, two hands.”
NBA All-Star Weekend is in Wiggins’ hometown of Toronto, and Wiggins, last season’s rookie of the year, will play in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 12 along with teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.
During the interview, Towns joked with Wiggins, “They want you in that [dunk] contest bad.”
Wiggins shook his head and said, “Me? Nah. I lost. I’m not doing it again. Maybe one day, but right now, I lost in high school and I thought I should’ve won, so I’m just …”
Wiggins competed in a dunk contest regarded as one of the best ever at the 2013 McDonald’s All-American Game, which featured future NBA players Aaron Gordon, now of the Orlando Magic, Jabari Parker, now of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, now of the Brooklyn Nets. Wiggins performed an incredible reverse 360 dunk but was beaten out by future Florida forward Chris Walker, who now plays for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Development League.
Asked who the best dunker on the Timberwolves is, Towns said, “They both are too athletic. Every day they do something special, so it’s not even mesmerizing anymore. It’s just the norm.”
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
