Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker Downplay Rivalry

Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker have been compared to one another for years, but the duo downplayed the rivalry after being selected as the top two picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.

“Good players will always be compared to each other, you know, but I never think of anything as a rivalry,” Wiggins said. “I think that’s what the media portrays it to be. On the court, it doesn’t matter who I’m going against, I’m going to go hard.  I’m going to go to win and kill.  Off the court we can be friends, but on the court, it’s a different story. I’ll never treat one person differently on the court.  Whoever is guarding me, whoever I’m guarding, I’m just going to win.”

“It’s not my job to compare [myself to Andrew],” Parker said. “I’m going to leave it to y’all.  It’s your duty and your job to stir up controversy, and y’all keep it. [Why compete with Andrew?] What does the draft really give entitlement to, the best player?  You got Doug McDermott scoring 3,000 points.  Shoot, you got Julius Randle who went to the National Championship.  Shabazz Napier won two National Championships. I mean, we’re all good.  We’re all great players.”

Wiggins and Parker crossed paths after being selected and wished each other well.

“You always want to wish good on people,” Parker said. “We don’t take a good enough job embracing each other and uplifting each other, and Andrew’s going to do a real good job being a Cavalier, and he also has the opportunity to be amongst his fellow Canadian teammates.”