The expectations were extremely high for Andrew Wiggins when he entered the NBA as the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The fact that he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers inevitably led to comparisons with the great LeBron James — something that Wiggins himself continues to rue to this very day.
Speaking on Golden State Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala's Point Forward podcast, Wiggins spoke honestly about the heavy burden he carried on his shoulders when he first came into the league. In his mind, the All-Star forward admits that he's known one thing to be undeniably true since Day 1 — that there's just no way anyone can fill LeBron's shoes:
“There was definitely pressure, especially being from Canada, just knowing the whole city is watching,” Wiggins said, via Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily. “The whole country is watching. The whole country wants you to do good. They’re calling you the next LeBron, stuff like that. Ain’t nobody gonna be the next LeBron. That’s one of one.”
Andrew Wiggins did not exactly live up to the lofty expectations most folks had on him early in his career. As a matter of fact, there were even some who even went as far as saying that this young man was a bust.
Wiggins has clearly erased all that doubt now. The 27-year-old is now an NBA champion with the Warriors, and it's not as if he went along for a free ride as well. He may not be the next LeBron James, but there's no denying that Andrew Wiggins is a bona fide star in the league.
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