Oklahoma City Thunder wing Josh Giddey will not face police charges following allegations of his having had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, they announced in a statement on Wednesday.
“After a thorough and exhaustive examination, we have completed our investigation into information that was circulating on social media involving Josh Giddey,” the statement read. “Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”
The Newport Beach (Calif.) Police Department first opened its investigation in late November. The NBA has deferred to the criminal investigation since, and Giddey has declined to speak on the matter.
“I get that you have to ask that, but I have no comment regarding that situation,” Giddey said on Thursday.
From The Athletic:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN in December that the league was holding off on any punishment for Giddey until it knew the results of an investigation as it waited for Newport Beach PD to complete theirs.
“Where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat,” he said. “So you have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation. That impacts how the players and the Player’s Association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights. I’m not going to say never ever, but this is the path we have consistently followed … that’s where things currently stand.”
Giddey is having a down season, averaging career lows across the board at 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists on 45% shooting. He has upped his 3-point efficiency to 36%, albeit on low volume (fewer than three attempts per game). Giddey’s down year hasn’t hurt the Thunder, who are currently the West’s No. 2 seed with a 27-13 record.