Josh Giddey is booed by Timberwolves fans every time he handles the ball during the Thunder’s in-season tournament game in Minnesota amid police investigation into alleged inappropriate relationship with minor
- Giddey, 21, is under NBA investigation for an alleged relationship with a minor
- A social media account claimed Giddey was romancing a high school Jr.
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Josh Giddey, the NBA player under investigation for allegedly dating an underage girl, was booed every time he handled the basketball for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the team’s final regular season game this week.
The Thunder play the Timberwolves for a regular-season tournament game in Minnesota on Tuesday night, with fans at Target Center loudly booing Giddey during the first half.
“Giddey gets loud boos every time he touches the ball, W fans,” one NBA fan tweeted.
“The boos are going to Giddy’s head,” another shared along with a misplaced pass from Thunder’s No. 3.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said before his team’s game against the Timberwolves that the NBA’s investigation into claims that Giddey had an inappropriate relationship has not yet stopped the Australian star from playing.
Josh Giddey, of the Thunder, is an unpopular figure among T-Wolves fans amid an NBA investigation
In a now-deleted post earlier this week, an anonymous social media user claimed that a girl seen with 21-year-old Giddey in videos and photos was a high school student 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 investigating the matter.
Police are now involved in investigating the claims involving Giddey, starting on Tuesday.
“There’s no change in status from a basketball standpoint,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said at his pre-game media conference. ‘We have no comment on the rest yet.
“Based on the information we have at this time, that is the decision we have made. It’s not even really a decision, to be honest. It’s obviously a competitive issue at the moment, so the ball is in their court.”
Giddey, 21, can still play despite the NBA investigating whether he had a relationship with a minor
Giddey had a strong performance in his team’s narrow loss to the 76ers, with a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds to go with his 10 points. He especially received cheers from the home crowd at Paycom Center during the 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 still been trending on social media in recent days.
When confronted by the media at training on Friday (Saturday AEDT), Giddey declined to comment on the social media accusation, which has the potential to impact a promising NBA career now in its third season .
Giddey, the NBL’s 2021 Rookie of the Year, had been a selection in the Thunder’s starting five since being taken with the sixth pick of that year’s NBA draft.
He is best known for his sharp passing, and in his rookie season he became the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double at 19 years and 84 days.
That season, he became the first rookie since Hall of Fame member Oscar Robertson in 1961 to record three consecutive triple-doubles.