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Former Warrior Andrew Wiggins greets the crowd at Chase Center in his return with the Heat.<\/p>\n
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Andrew Wiggins, with that infectious smile that left a lasting mark on Warriors teammates, coaches and fans, stood near the Golden State bench long before tipoff waiting for a moment to catch up with old pal Stephen Curry.<\/p>\n
Curry took a quick break from his routine and they chatted and hugged before each got back to work. Wiggins returned to Chase Center with the Miami Heat on Monday night just shy of a year since the Warriors traded him to acquire Jimmy Butler.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the best,\u201d Curry said before heading out for his pregame warmup.<\/p>\n
Wiggins received a warm ovation during pregame introductions, waving, clapping and putting his hand to his heart. A video tribute played on the big screen.<\/p>\n
Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew it would stir up emotions to see Wiggins again, given how much he meant to the franchise in 5 1\/2 seasons that included his contributions to the team\u2019s 2022 title.<\/p>\n
Once a Dub, forever family.<\/p>\n
Welcome back to Warriors Ground, Andrew \ud83d\udc9b pic.twitter.com\/GIiiW5XoY6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWiggs is just such a great human being and beloved in our locker room. Had so much success here and helped us turn things around from that two-year stretch when we didn\u2019t make the playoffs,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cHe was just a joy to coach every single day. When you get a guy like that on your team and you go through a lot together, both on and off the court, then you make a trade, it\u2019s just like that. It\u2019s just crazy, this league, how this business operates. You have to just deal with it, but it is sad when your relationships like that are all of a sudden \u2014 I mean you still have a relationship but you don\u2019t see each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew Wiggins receives ovation in return to Golden State, nearly a year after the deal that sent him to Miami in exchange for Jimmy Butler.<\/p>\n Also Monday, Butler returned to play against his former team after sitting out Saturday\u2019s\u00a0136-116 win<\/a> over Charlotte for personal reasons.<\/p>\n Wiggins is averaging 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his first full season with Miami.<\/p>\n Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could appreciate how meaningful Wiggins\u2019 return was for both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know it\u2019s important to him, he had some great moments here, particularly during that championship run,\u201d Spoelstra said. \u201cAnd he\u2019ll be received great, as he should, here in this building. We\u2019re just grateful that we have him. He\u2019s been doing so much for us on both ends of the court. I think as a complete game and all the responsibilities, you can make a case that this is the best that he\u2019s played in his career, because of all those responsibilities he has for us.\u201d<\/p>\n