UPDATED 11/29 11:50 a.m ET: The police investigation into Josh Giddey's alleged relationship with a minor is struggling to progress over a lack of cooperation.
TMZ reports that the alleged teen who had an improper relationship with the 21-year-old Thunder guard is refusing to speak with the police. Her family is also refusing to cooperate with authorities. The lack of cooperation means it'll be a lot more difficult for police to deduce whether Giddey broke any laws.
See original story below.
Josh Giddey is reportedly now under police investigation.
Giddey, a point guard for Oklahoma City Thunder, was accused on social media of having an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl. Photos of the 21-year-old Australian player with an alleged minor surfaced online, with a caption reading, “Just fucked Josh Giddey.”
Sources connected to law enforcement told TMZ that Newport Beach, California police have opened an inquiry to see if there was any validity to the claims made against Giddey and if any laws were broken. Although the age of consent in Oklahoma is 16, it’s unknown how old the girl was at the time the photo was taken.
Last week, the NBA announced it's investigating the incident. It was also reported that Giddey is at risk of losing a hefty $40 million sponsorship deal with cereal brand Weet-Bix and its parent company, Sanitarium Health Food Company, which has wiped all photos of the player from its social media pages.
Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma's head coach, was asked on Tuesday about TMZ's report.
"I'm just not gonna comment on anything as relates to Josh off the court. ... Josh is playing tonight," Daigneault said.
The allegations have also rocked the sports journalism world. Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant criticized ESPN journalist Malika Andrews for not covering Giddey’s scandal quickly enough.
“@malika_andrews you went out your way to crucify Brandon Miller on draft day over something he didn’t even do,” wrote Bryant on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Why haven’t you said nothing about Josh Giddey. I advise you not to make this a black or white thing.”
In a video published on Monday, Stephen A. Smith explained why he was hesitant to weigh in on the alleged misconduct.
"He's 21, we don't know how old she is," Smith said. "We don't know anything, we know there's an investigation going on. That's all we know. We don't know anything else. You know why Stephen A. hasn't said anything? Because you could get sued, idiots! You don't just go out there running your damn mouth over something this serious."
