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The NBA can’t seem to stay out of trouble this season. A lot of it is out of the league’s control, as some of their players have invited controversy with unsavory decisions off of the court that the NBA can’t possibly prevent. However, the way the league has responded to these scandals hasn’t helped in the slightest, and, in many cases, has made it much worse for its own optics.
One of the ugliest situations in the league has to be the one involving the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey. Giddey, former lottery pick and current 21-year-old forward, is under investigation for a potential statutory rape case. Allegedly, the Australian wing had engaged in sexual relations with a California-based minor at some point last season.
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Details surrounding the case are still coming out, but everything that has been revealed to the public points to the fact that Giddey did in fact engage in sexual conduct with the alleged victim, who has been proven to be a minor. Now, it’ll come down to whether or not Giddey was aware of the victim’s age or not.
Despite these allegations turning into a full-blown investigation by the Newport Beach Police Department, Giddey has yet to receive any reprimand from the NBA or the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, Giddey can still be seen starting for one of the premier teams in the Western Conference this season every night.
When asked why Giddey is still being allowed to play, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver essentially shed the responsibility by deferring to the law. His explanation basically boiled down to the fact that Giddey hasn’t been charged with anything yet and that it would be unprecedented for the league to suspend a player based on allegations alone.
Ja Morant in court yesterday pic.twitter.com/oPbfydhNoT
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 12, 2023
This decision has been heavily scrutinized considering the fact that Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies was suspended for 25 games this season for displaying firearms on his social media on multiple occasions, even though Morant didn’t break any laws. Furthermore, Giddey’s actual on-court play could have warranted a benching alone, but it seems like the Thunder are hellbent on protecting a potential abuser.
Recently, Oklahoma City’s social media team released a graphic calling for fans to vote for Giddey to make the All-Star team. Surely they do this for all of their starters, but a player shooting under 44 percent from the field and 32 percent from deep while under investigation for possible statutory rape might not warrant an All-Star campaign. The league needs to step in and start reversing the narrative on how they’ve handled Josh Giddey’s situation.
"I can't think of many circumstances where we've suspended a player based on an allegation alone… where there is a criminal investigation, we take a backseat… That's where things currently stand."
Adam Silver on the Josh Giddey situation.pic.twitter.com/iGFpxmP5zs
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 8, 2023
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| Title: The Oklahoma City Thunder’s insistence on protecting Josh Giddey is despicable
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: December 20th , 2023
