Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder had a night to forget in the away game against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona. It has been a tumultuous past few months for the Australian as he had faced allegations of inappropriate s*xual relationship with a minor.
However, it was announced that he won’t be facing charges as there was no “corroborating evidence” sufficient enough to press on with the case. Although, the NBA’s investigation is still ongoing, with no conclusion in sight for the time being.
In the game against the Phoenix Suns, a viral video has been circulating on social media showing players from the Suns backing off Giddey as he advances toward their paint. A move which appears to be unusual in the league, it stirred up a storm on social media with users on the platform speculating the reason being the Suns’ defensive reasons for backing off Giddey. Whatever the reasons were, it paid off as Giddey missed the shot from beyond the arc.
At the time of writing this report, the Suns are mounting a comeback effort against the top of the table OKC and reduced a 20+ deficit with a strong third quarter 33-23 performance, courtesy of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant.
Josh Giddey was a starter for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Footprint Center, home court of the Phoenix Suns. And in a video making the rounds on social media, players of the Phoenix Suns appear to back off Giddey in what seems to be a good defensive move. This has led to series of negative comments and speculations on popular social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter).
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey started (via. AP)One user on X, @lovetoglazebkn tweeted, “I wouldn’t wanna go near that weirdo either.”
I wouldn’t wanna go near that weirdo either
— #1 Biggest nets glazer (@lovetoglazebkn) March 4, 2024
A couple of other fan’s reactions below:
Guarding him like it’s 2022 Russ💀
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) March 4, 2024
That’s how many feet his court order should have said he needs to be away from schools.
— How Hard Is It To Answer? (@AnswerThePole) March 4, 2024
Nurkic just staying the same distance from him as he should from minors
— japta (@DubsBetterrr) March 4, 2024
Feel sorry for Shai in the playoff lmao
— ⚒️🏆Championship Otto 🃏🏹 (@ChiefOttoSosa) March 4, 2024
Buddy used to be able to shoot a lil bit, after the allegations something happened…
— God Ghost Writer 👁🗨 (@kingchudy) March 4, 2024
This is why the Thunder will crumble in the playoffs. Giddey is a huge offensive and defensive liability and they can double shai in the playoffs cuz nobody’s scared of Giddey shooting
— Deuce’s burner (@Joe75532804) March 4, 2024
Giddey, who has spoken up about his past struggles, is eager to learn and grow as a person and as an athlete. This season he is averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
