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Australian basketball star Josh Giddey has fronted the media but offered little in response to allegations of an inappropriate relationship when questioned about footage that has gone viral online over the past couple of days.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league was “looking into the issue.”
The 21-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard is under scrutiny over footage which appears to show him engaging in inappropriate conduct with a teenager from California.
In a since-deleted post, an anonymous social media user said a girl who is seen with Giddey in videos and photographs was a high school junior at the time. The social media account has since been deactivated.
He spoke for the first time about the matter during a practice session on Friday.
When asked by a reporter at a Thunder media session about the serious allegations, he responded: “Yeah, I mean I understand the question, obviously, but there’s no further comment right now.”
He was then asked a follow-up question from another member of the media pack and he added: “I get the question, guys, I completely understand you guys want to know about it but just right now I don’t have anything to say.”
The topic was also raised to Thunder coach Mark Daigneault during his media conference and he responded by saying it was a “personal matter, and I have no comment on it and that will be my answer on anything related”.
Giddey has turned comments off on his Instagram account, which has 514,000 followers.
The Melbourne-born playmaker, who represented Australia at the World Cup before the NBA season, is in the early stages of his third year at OKC.
His team is second in the Western Conference with an 11-4 record and Giddey is averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists after starting all 15 games at point guard.
Drafted to the Thunder with pick six in the 2021 draft, Giddey’s promising career could be seriously impacted by the allegations.
He was the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double – at 19 years and 84 days – and the first player since Hall of Fame member Oscar Robertson in 1961 to record three consecutive triple-doubles as a rookie.
The 2021 NBL rookie of the year is a key part in the Boomers’ hopes of improving on their historic bronze medal in Tokyo at next year’s Paris Olympics.
He tallied 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in their 116-102 home win over Chicago before the Thanksgiving Day break and will return to the court at OKC on Saturday night (Sunday 9am AEDT).
with AAP
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