- Allegations about Josh Giddey emerged at the end of November last year
- He continued to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder while police investigated the claims
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey will not face charges in the police investigation into claims he had an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
TMZ Sports reports this Newport Beach police closed the case after finding no corroborating evidence.
Giddey, 21, had continued to play for the Thunder throughout the investigation, including 19 minutes in Tuesday night’s loss to the Clippers.
But he has been repeatedly booed and taunted by opposing fans since the allegations emerged in November.
In December it was reported that the teenage girl at the center of the claims refused to cooperate with police while they investigated the case.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey will not be sued over inappropriate relationship claims
Photos of the NBA and Thunder star and the girl appeared on social media in November
Giddey’s alleged encounter with an underage girl reportedly took place in 2021
Photos and videos appeared on social media showing Giddey with the underage girl, but reports in his native Australia say the incident happened more than two years ago.
The Thunder guard believed the teen was 19 when they met at a nightclub in 2021.
And after discovering the next day that she was in fact under 18, Giddey is said to have ended the relationship.
The New York Post claiming to have identified the Oklahoma City nightclub where Giddey was filmed with the teen, stating that the establishment has an over-18s policy.
In a video leaked online, Giddey addressed a camera held by an unnamed person.
“What is it, my husband?” Giddey says in the clip. “We’re at the front of the club, me and my girl, about to head back to mine.”
Giddey was asked about the allegations when they first emerged during a team training session but declined to comment on the allegations against him.
“Yeah, I mean, I understand the question clearly,” Giddey told the reporter. “But there is no further comment at this time.”
Giddey, 21, continued to play in the NBA during the investigation
Giddey has continued to play for the Thunder since the allegations came to light, with Thunder coach Mark Daigneault also facing questions about the allegations.
“Just with the information we have at this point, that’s the decision we’ve made (to continue playing him),” Daigneault said.
“It’s not even a decision, to be honest. It’s obviously a competitive issue at the moment, so the ball is in their court.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in December that Giddey would not be suspended purely because of an allegation.
“I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based solely on an allegation,” Silver said on ESPN’s ‘NBA today‘.
“So in this case we have an allegation and then you have a police investigation and then a parallel league investigation. I would also add that if there is a criminal investigation, we will take a back seat. This affects how the players and players’ association can work with us, because of course the player must protect his rights.
“I’m not going to say never, but I think this is the path we’ve consistently followed in the past.”