Coach Goorjian stands by Josh Giddey amid NBA probe
Australian national men’s basketball coach Brian Goorjian has expressed his support for Josh Giddey amid an NBA investigation.
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The Newport Beach Police Department announced Wednesday it had closed its investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey and an underage girl in California.
Giddey has continued to play for the Thunder since the anonymous claims made on social media in November.
While Giddey will not face charges in California, where the age of consent is 18, the NBA’s review is ongoing.
Here’s what you need to know about the Giddey situation:
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The since-deleted posts went viral on social media in the early morning hours on Nov. 23 and showed a man who appeared to be Giddey with a female, but it is unknown when the photos and video were taken.
Famed attorney Gloria Allred confirmed Dec. 4 that she was representing the family of the girl Giddey was accused of having an impropriate relationship with.
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Giddey has trained in Irvine, California, at a gym near Newport Beach.
He was also twice ticketed for traffic violations in the area in July 2022, according to online court records reviewed by The Oklahoman. Giddey would have been 19 at the time.
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When asked on Thursday in Salt Lake City ahead of the Thunder’s game against the Jazz about how he can shift his focus to basketball again now that the Newport Beach PD investigation is closed, Josh Giddey responded with a generic statement: “I get that you have to ask that, but I have no comment regarding that situation.”
Asked if he could describe the past couple months, he had the same answer.
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The Newport Beach Police Department announced Wednesday it had has closed its investigation on the 21-year-old Giddey.
“After a thorough and exhaustive examination, we have completed our investigation into information that was circulating on social media involving Josh Giddey,” the NBPD statement read.
“Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey. The Newport Beach Police Department is committed to ensuring that accurate information is disseminated to the public, while also ensuring the rights of all those involved.”
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The NBA’s investigation into the Giddey situation is ongoing, the league told The Oklahoman on Wednesday.
But in an interview with ESPN’s “NBA Today” in December, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league would wait until the police investigation concluded before taking any action.
“I think if you look back, I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said. “So we have an allegation and then you have a police investigation and a parallel league investigation.
“I’ll also add that where there’s a criminal investigation, we take a backseat. You have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation — that impacts how the players and Players Association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights.
“I’m not going to say never ever, but I think this is the path we’ve consistently followed in the past. … That’s where things currently stand.”
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The Thunder selected Giddey with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Giddey, 21, was born in Melbourne, Australia, and played for the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League — Australia’s top pro league — before joining the Thunder.
The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 54 games for OKC in the 2021-22 season, earning NBA All-Rookie second-team honors. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 76 games last season. Through 39 games this season, he’s averaging 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Giddey’s sister, Hannah, played college basketball at Oral Roberts in Tulsa before transferring to Southern Nazarene in Bethany before the 2022-23 season. She is averaging 12.7 points through 15 games this season.
Hannah Giddey, who is 16 months older than Josh, arrived in Oklahoma one year before her brother.
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- Position: Guard
- Born: Oct. 10, 2002, in Melbourne, Australia
- Previous team: Adelaide 36ers (Australia NBL)
- Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 218 pounds
- Salary: $6.6 million
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