Melbourne’s Josh Giddey joins Oklahoma City Thunder with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA draft

Rising Boomers star Josh Giddey has been selected as one of the top picks in the NBA Draft to become the Thunder from Down Under.

Warwick and Josh Giddey at the NBA draft in New York

Josh Giddey has described the moment he officially became an NBA player as a “dream come true”, declaring he can’t wait to continue Australian basketball’s proud NBA legacy by building something “special” at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Giddey’s world changed forever on Friday when the Thunder selected him with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

The 18-year-old couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when his name was read out. He hugged family members and his management before shaking hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on stage.

Giddey’s journey to the world’s best basketball league via Melbourne, the AIS in Canberra and a professional NBL stint with the Adelaide 36ers is complete.

He joins fellow Australians, Luc Longley, Ben Simmons, Dante Exum, Thon Maker and Andrew Bogut as a top 10 NBA draft pick.

Giddey was thrilled to link with Oklahoma City, confirming he will suit up for the Thunder in the pre-season NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in two weeks.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Aussie NBA draftee Josh Giddey.

“It’s a dream come true, so to be taken by the Thunder and to have them want me on their team it makes me feel really special and I couldn’t be happier,” said Giddey, who will also be joined in the US by his sister Hannah, who plays college basketball for Oral Roberts, an hour-and-a-half from Oklahoma.

“I was talking to (general manager) Sam (Presti) and the rest of the staff and coaches and stuff like that and just the way they talked and told me about how they want to lift their program and the direction they’re headed in, it was something I wanted to be a part of.

“Moving forward, hopefully in the next coming years that we can have a lot of success in Oklahoma, and as I keep saying, but it was really something I wanted to be a part of and kind of start from the bottom and move our way up in the league. It’s a great young team and I can’t wait to get down there and get started.

“Just to get on the court again and for it to be with the Thunder is, it’s a bonus as well. So, yeah, I’ll be at Summer League and I can’t wait for it.”

As the son of parents who played professional basketball, father Warrick and mother Kim at the Melbourne Tigers, Giddey also understands the importance of Australia’s rich hoops history, especially in the NBA.

He grew up idolising the likes of Dante Exum and Joe Ingles. Now he will join them in the world’s best league.

Giddey has impressed playing for the Boomers. Picture: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

“To follow on from the guys we have had go through the NBA, it means a lot to me, and I looked up to those guys for a long time and I speak to them and try and get advice from them,” he said.

“I was watching them on TV, I’m big fans of theirs. And even two years ago I was watching their highlights and trying to get them to reply to my Instagram messages and all that stuff. So, following in their footsteps being drafted in the NBA, it’s really special.”

Giddey is also the first player from Basketball Australia’s NBA Global Academy to be drafted, which is a significant moment for the program.

Social media was flooded with praise for the Melbourne sensation, with the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Bogut and his mentor Ingles all offering their congratulations and support.

Giddey’s Oklahoma signings is being hailed as the perfect landing spot for the gifted point guard given there won’t be immediate pressure to perform, as the Thunder is coming off a 14th-placed finish in the Western Conference.

This will give him time to develop his game in a proven system for producing guards.

Mike Schmitz – a respected NBA draft analyst and international scout – believes Giddey will excel in OKC as arguably the most intelligent player in the 2021 draft class.

“It is a little bit of a surprise, but I like the pick,” Schmitz said in the NBA draft coverage on ESPN.

Giddey has found an NBA home at Oklahoma City. Picture Matt Turner

“I think he fits well with (fellow Thunder shooting guard) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“And you could argue that he is the smartest player in this entire draft, and I think he has got the chance to be one of the best passers in the NBA.

“He is 6’8, pushing 6’9, he threads the needle in transition and he is really good with those soccer passes over the top.

“And Joe Ingles has been a mentor. I was out at in Las Vegas and saw him playing with the Australian national team and I saw him going toe-to-toe in practice with Ingles and Matisse Thybulle – and he fit right in.”

Warrick Giddey, who was at the draft in Brooklyn to watch his boy create history, believes his son’s rise to the NBA will inspire Australian kids to dream big.

“It is massive,” a proud Giddey said.

“Josh is the first Aussie guy to come out of the NBL Next Stars program, so this is just going to push basketball even more.

“The fact that he has come from two Australian parents, so I think the impact on the game here is going to be phenomenal on young kids around Australia.

Hell yeah @joshgiddey!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) July 30, 2021

The Next Star has landed in Oklahoma City!

From the @Adelaide36ers to the @okcthunder, congratulations to @joshgiddey on being selected 6th in the 2021 #NBA Draft. #NBLxNBApic.twitter.com/hZmv6gXt17

— The NBL (@NBL) July 30, 2021

Congratulations Josh Giddey!

Selected with Pick No. 6 by Oklahoma City Thunder!

We're so happy for you! @joshgiddey#WeAreBasketball#NBADraftpic.twitter.com/yP1fXIKgsp

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 30, 2021

Giddey’s mother Kim also played WNBL for the Melbourne Tigers between 1989-1992.

Giddey had a sensational season with the 36ers, winning the NBL’s Rookie of the Year award after averaging 10.9 points, 7.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game.

He also became the first Australian in NBL history to record back-to-back triple doubles as his draft stock rose dramatically during the year.

Giddey becomes the third NBL Next Star to get drafted directly after his NBL season, joining LaMelo Ball (pick 3) and RJ Hampton (pick 24) from last year’s draft.

“Watching LaMelo and R.J Hampton go through that same process and see how well their game translated from the NBL to the NBA gave me confidence going in that hopefully I can do something a little bit similar,” he said.

“Lucky enough I did, I landed in a good spot.”

Originally published as Melbourne’s Josh Giddey joins Oklahoma City Thunder with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA draft