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SAN FRANCISCO – Andrew Wiggins has always been the quiet one in the Golden State Warriors mix of stars, content to lounge in the background while the big personalities and loud voices garner all the attention. The stage of personality, with its burdens, is not worth ascending.

He sat back and smiled, shook his head as Draymond Green gave his speech, and laughed uncontrollably as Steph Curry did his dance. And when the festivities were over, win or lose, Wiggins would scoop up his young daughters and go home to be with his family, as his father taught him to do.

But over the previous two seasons, Warriors coach Steve Kerr noticed a different kind of silence taking hold of one of his most important players. Something more than his usual reticence. Something deeper. As Mitchell Wiggins’ health deteriorated rapidly, his son withdrew. From the team, from the game, from everything.

“It was brutal because it was an ongoing thing for so long that his father was suffering,” Kerr said. “Seeing someone you love, your father, suffer for so long – you can imagine how that would affect your daily life.”

Wiggins took an extended leave of absence to be with his father two seasons ago and missed some time here and there last season as Mitchell underwent various treatments. His numbers dropped significantly, his defensive energy disappeared, and the Warriors went right down with him.

Those who suffer in silence tend to sacrifice empathy. What exactly was wrong, how deep his wound was, was kept under wraps behind Wiggins’ penchant for privacy. Thus, he was a key factor in the Warriors missing the playoffs and becoming the object of the fan base’s trade wishes.

If only fans knew how much none of it mattered.

“Brett doesn’t talk about basketball that much,” Wiggins said. “You have your life to worry about. You have certain things going on in your life that are your priority. Basketball is kind of in the shadows. You try to find a good balance.”

Mitchell Wiggins died in September at the age of 64, devastating a close-knit family. Both outstanding athletes in their younger days, Mitchell and his wife, Marita Payne-Wiggins, helped their children navigate the world of professional sports while keeping in mind the important things in life.

Three months later, the fog has lifted enough for his soul to breathe. The wound has healed. After wading through months on top of months of pending grief, the grief has subsided. Life goes on for Wiggins, even with a father-sized hole in his heart.

Where Wiggins once felt lost and helpless as he watched his father suffer through various treatments, he has managed to rediscover his spirit and reconnect in the wake of his death.

Read the rest of my story with Marcus Thompson here.