NBA has reportedly closed investigation into Thunder’s Josh Giddey

This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Josh Giddey, as early in the season he was being probed for being part of an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor. Both the police and the NBA decided to investigate on the matter, and not punish the player until they had real evidence of what happened. 

After months of accumulating information, the league has reportedly decided to close their investigation after the Newport Beach Police Department had announced months ago that the Thunder player would not face charges. 

“After a thorough and exhaustive examination, we have completed our investigation into information that was circulating on social media involving Josh Giddey,” read the PD’s statement. “Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”

Report: NBA closes investigation on Josh Giddey for alleged inappropriate relationship https://t.co/VM8q2HGug0 pic.twitter.com/wxUAl4D1f6

— OKC Thunder Wire (@The_ThunderWire) May 25, 2024

Now it seems as if the NBA has reached a similar conclusion and won’t be investigating further on the case. The allegations against Giddey first surfaced late in November, when a number of photos started to circulate on social media. This content included a video showing the player with a girl, who was supposedly still not an adult. 

When the news was still fresh, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained why the league wasn’t planning on dealing with the player until hard evidence was found. “Where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat,” he said at the time. 

“So you have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation. That impacts how the players and the Player’s Association can work with us because, of course, the player needs to protect his rights. I’m not going to say never ever, but this is the path we have consistently followed … that’s where things currently stand,” he added.

Giddey recently admitted that this NBA campaign he’s endured ‘probably the biggest challenge’ of his career

There is a video that surfaced last week and has gone viral, in which the Australian athlete was seen very emotional when asked by a reporter about everything he’s had to overcome this season. Just as the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder, the star admitted that this year he’s gone through the toughest obstacles of his young career. 

“This was probably the biggest challenge I’ve ever gone through for a number of reasons obviously,” Giddey expressed. “I think (coping) mentally is the part that gets overlooked the most for any player. It’s so easy for people to see what’s happening on the floor but not see what happens behind the scenes and there’s so much more to a person than basketball. hat’s for anyone not just me.”

As he has been subjected to jeers and boos from both rival crowds and the Oklahoma City fan base, he admitted that at some point he started to lose confidence in his game.  “You have a couple bad games, you start to get in your own head, maybe you lose confidence – whatever the case may be. But for me, I’ve just tried to stay within the team as much as I can this year and that’s been the thing for me that I found that’s worked the best. 

“When you come in every day, you get amongst the team and you stay within the group and that’s what cheers guys up and that’s what gets you back on the right path. I’m really lucky to have good people around me. They really care and really are there for you and there’s definitely been days and stretches this year that have been tough. It’s not a secret. But I just tried to come in every day and be the best I could and be the best teammate I could,” Josh concluded.