Josh Giddey, the NBA player under investigation for allegedly being in a relationship with an underage girl, has been booed every time he has handled the basketball for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the team’s latest league game this week.
The Thunder play the Timberwolves for an in-season tournament game in Minnesota on Tuesday night, with fans inside of Target Center loudly jeering Giddey during the first half.
‘Giddey getting loud boos everytime he touches the ball, W fans,’ tweeted an NBA fan.
‘The boos are getting to Giddy’s head,’ shared another along with a misplaced pass the Thunder’s No. 3.
Oklahoma City’s coach, Mark Daigneault, said before his team’s matchup against the Timberwolves that the NBA’s probe into claims Giddey had an improper relationship does not yet prevent the Australian star from playing.
Josh Giddey, of the Thunder, is an unpopular figure among T-Wolves fans amid an NBA probe
In a since-deleted post earlier this week, an anonymous social media user claimed a girl seen with 21-year-old Giddey in videos and photographs was a high school junior at the time.
Giddey suited up for the Thunder in Sunday’s 127-123 loss to fellow heavyweights the Philadelphia 76ers, his first game since the NBA began looking into the matter.
Police are now involved looking into the claims regarding Giddey, too, as of Tuesday.
‘There’s no change in status from a basketball standpoint,’ Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said in his pre-game media conference. ‘We still have no comment on anything else.
‘Just with the information we have at this point, that’s the decision that we’ve made. It’s really not even a decision, to be honest with you. It’s obviously a league matter at this point so the ball’s in their court on that.’
Giddey, 21, can still play despite the NBA investigating if he was in a relationship with a minor
Giddey performed strongly in his team’s close defeat to the 76ers, recording a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds to go with his 10 points. He received mostly cheers from the home crowd at Paycom Center during pre-game introductions and after each of his baskets.
The social media account that made the claim about Giddey has been deactivated but the Boomers star has continued to trend on social media in the days since.
When facing the media at practice on Friday (Saturday AEDT), Giddey declined to comment on the social media allegation, which has the potential to impact a promising NBA career, now into its third season.
The NBL’s rookie of the year in 2021, Giddey has been a lock for selection in the Thunder’s starting five since being taken with the sixth pick of that year’s NBA draft.
He has become particularly well-known for his incisive passing game, and in his rookie season, became the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double at 19 years and 84 days.
That season, he was the first rookie since Hall of Fame member Oscar Robertson in 1961 to record three consecutive triple-doubles.
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