Getty Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler, then of the Minnesota Timberwolves, talk during a 2018 game against the San Antonio Spurs.
For some time now, the prevailing belief about Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins’ relationship with Jimmy Butler has been that the two have been beefing since their Minnesota days. Butler, of course, is one of the more fiery competitors in the NBA, while Wiggins’ drive has been questioned over the years.
Consequently, their differing demeanors allowed for some public friction when they were teammates.
However, Warriors vet Andre Iguodala just set the record straight on Butler’s true feelings for the former No. 1 overall pick. And despite what happened between the players in the past, it would seem that Butler now holds Wiggins in the highest esteem.
“We had a common teammate — Jimmy Butler. Jimmy had nothing but positive things to say about Wiggs,” Iguodala revealed during a recent presser. “He liked playing with Wiggs. That was all I needed to hear to be honest because Jimmy doesn’t like anybody.”
Butler Called Wiggins Soft in Minnesota
It’s probably safe to say that neither Butler nor Wiggins were the other’s favorite person when the two were both Timberwolves. After Butler requested a trade out of Minnesota, he went full-on scorched earth with Wiggins and big man Karl-Anthony Towns during an infamous practice session.
Via Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes:
Screaming from the top of his lungs, Butler uttered taunts at his teammates, including “They ain’t [expletive]!” and “They soft!”, league sources said. Most of the players knew the invectives were directed at Towns and Wiggins, sources said.
Later, he had this to say about the duo during an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols:
Am I being tough on him? Yeah, that’s who am I. I’m not the most talented player on the team. Who is the most talented player on our team — KAT. Who is the most God-gifted player on our team — Wiggs. Who plays the hardest? Me! I play hard. I put my body [on the line] every day in practice, every day in games. That’s my passion. Everybody leads in different ways. That’s how I show I’m here for you.
When Butler requested his trade, Wiggins’ older brother even tweeted, “Hallelujah.”
In spite of all that, though, Wiggins later claimed that things were all good between him and Butler. He went so far as to say that he was rooting for his old teammate when he took the Miami Heat to the Finals in the bubble. Now, at least according to Iggy’s account of things, it seems as though things are good on Butler’s side, too.
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Wiggins Enters Protocols
Wiggins is in the midst of a stellar year with the Warriors. Through 29 games played, he’s averaging 18.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. However, his shooting numbers are far beyond anything he has done before. The 26-year-old actually leads the team in three-point shooting at 42.2% (on 5.3 attempts per contest).
Unfortunately, he just hit a speed bump in the form of COVID-19.
As reported by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater on Sunday, Wiggins has entered health and safety protocols. He’ll have to quarantine for at least 10 days or return two negative PCR test results 24 hours apart before he’ll be allowed to resume basketball activities.
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Wiggins-Butler Relationship Status Revealed by Warriors Vet