Fans Are Outraged That Josh Giddey Is Playing During NBA Investigation

NBA fans are not too happy that Oklahoma City Thunder player Josh Giddey was allowed to play in Saturday's game while the NBA investigates allegations that he had a relationship with a minor.

Fans have taken to social media to explain why they think he shouldn't be playing during the investigation and comparing the situation to other investigations that have taken place in the NBA recently.

The Thunder are not currently taking any disciplinary action against Giddey, 21, despite his potential relationship with a 15-year-old girl and have allowed him to play in Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"He's available to play, will play, no change in status from a basketball standpoint, still have no comment on anything else," head coach Mark Daigneault said. "Just with the information that we have at this point, that's the decision that we've made. It's really not even a decision, to be honest with you. It's obviously a league matter at this point so, the ball is in their court on that."

And while that might make perfect sense to some fans, others are taking to social media to explain why they feel it's not right.

"Wow. They should bench him until the investigation is over," one person commented on X, formerly known as Twitter. Another person added, "It’s not like he posted a link to Prime video or anything evil like that," sarcastically referring to Kyrie Irving being suspended after tweeting a link to an antisemitic movie.

Another commenter brought up Ja Morant's situation and how he was suspended for 25 games for flashing a firearm during an Instagram Live.

Over on Instagram, fans also compared Irving's past issues with Giddey's current investigation.

Fans took to the comment section of Ball Bound's Instagram post to debate whether or not Giddey should be playing in Sunday's game and comparing the situation to Irving's.

"Kyrie posted a movie that’s STILL AVAILABLE on Amazon and almost lost his career, Giddey f------ a minor and is playing today…. Sh-- crazy fr," one person wrote.

"Josh should be suspended, we should hold them accountable equally," wrote another.

A few fans also brought Miles Bridges into the chat. Bridges, who plays for the Charlotte Hornets, was arrested on multiple offenses, including felony domestic violence charges in 2022.

"All y’all in the comments acting like Miles Bridges isn’t also playing," one person wrote. Another said, "So we ignoring Miles Bridges playing?"

A league spokesperson recently confirmed that the NBA is investigating allegations that Giddey had a relationship with an underage girl after videos and photos were shared online.

An anonymous social media user, who has since deactivated their account, alleged that Giddey had a relationship with a high school junior by sharing photos and videos of the two.

During Friday's practice, both Giddey and Daigneault declined to comment to reporters on the allegations.

"I understand the question, obviously, but there's no further comment right now," Giddey said to reporters. "I get the question guys, I completely understand you guys want to know about it but just for right now, I don't have anything to say."

Daigneault was asked if he thought Giddey could become a "potential distraction," and he said it was a "personal matter" and that he had "no comment on it."

If the NBA finds that Giddey is guilty of the allegations that he had a relationship with a minor, it could lead to serious consequences such as suspension or possibly expulsion from the league. The Thunder could also be fined or have future draft picks taken from them.

Giddey, raised in Melbourne, Australia, was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Thunder. Currently, he's averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.