Andrew Wiggins, who spent over five years with the Golden State Warriors before being traded to the Miami Heat in early 2025, returned to Chase Center for the first time on Monday, January 19 to face his former team.
Before tipoff, Wiggins was met with cheers from the crowd as in-arena announcer Steve Scott asked fans to give “the man with the smile” a warm welcome. The former Warrior placed his hand over his heart and applauded the crowd, later waving to fans after watching a tribute video played inside the arena.
The moment was later shared by the NBA’s official account on X (formerly Twitter).
Reuniting with his former teammates, Wiggins was seen with Steph Curry prior to the game, catching up before taking to the court for their pre-game warmups. The game, which saw the Heat lose 112-135 to the Warriors, may not have gone Wiggins way, but his return to the team where he helped secure the 2022 NBA Championship title was warm for the small forward.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had nothing but good things to say about Wiggins, who he called “such a great human being” in a post-game interview. Sharing that Wiggins was ”beloved in our locker room,” Kerr explained that he considered his former player “a joy to coach every single day.” While the Warriors may miss Wiggins, his time with the Miami Heat has seen him taking on new responsibilities on the court, according to coach Erik Spoelstra.
Spoelstra shared that while he was happy to see Wiggins so well received by his former team, the Heat are happy he’s with them. Averaging 15.8 points per game, Spoelstra feels “you can make a case that this is the best that [Wiggins’] played in his career.” Even with new support, the Canadian player appeared humbled to be back on his old turf.