Parallel Josh Giddey investigations by police and NBA continue as the risks facing young athletes are laid bare

Josh Giddey’s time in NBA limbo facing allegations of an inappropriate relationship show no signs of ending soon as the NBA breaks their silence on the matter.

The police probe of Josh Giddey’s allegedly inappropriate relationship with a Californian high school student was sparked by photos and videos that went viral on social media – rather than a specific complaint about the Australian NBA star.

But sources familiar with the Newport Beach Police Department’s investigation suggest it will be “slow going” to get to the bottom of the allegations, which have seen Giddey met with boos whenever he takes to the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Code Sports last week revealed the alleged one-night encounter took place over a year ago, when Giddey was just 19 and the young woman was only 15.

Josh Giddey in action for OKC on November 30. Picture: Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

They had met at an event during the day before reconnecting later at a nightclub.

The relationship ended once Giddey was made aware of her age, but social media posts last month prompted both the NBA and police to launch investigations. He has refused to comment on the allegations.

While US media outlets reported the young woman was not assisting detectives, a source familiar with the probe told Code Sports they had “no reason to believe she’s not co-operating”.

It is unclear if the teenager – who is represented by America’s most powerful women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred – has been formally interviewed.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended the decision not to suspend Giddey.

“I think if you look back, I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” he said on Friday (local time).

“Where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat … I think this is the path we’ve consistently followed in the past.”

“That’s where things currently stand.”

Josh Giddey faces allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl. Picture: Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

But with the probe expected to take some time, the 21-year-old Giddey’s career remains in limbo, given the NBA has previously preferred to allow police investigations to run their course before closing their own cases into potentially criminal indiscretions involving players.

The NBA, since 1986, has been exemplary in preparing players for the pitfalls of fame in the highly sexualised world of professional basketball in the US.

Just one month after he was drafted to Oklahoma, Giddey sat in a Las Vegas university conference room with 60 rookies taking part in the annual Rookie Transition Program.

With every team in town in the second week of August 2021 for the Summer League, the NBA hosted four evening sessions discussing everything from mental health and finances to social justice and healthy relationships.

The second session, which featured four-time NBA All Star Shawn Marion alongside experts, focused on: “Healthy Relationships – certified counsellors will explain the importance of building safe and strong relationships. Rookies will learn the benefits of open and honest communication, how to talk about consent, stats and facts about sexual health, how to prepare to make healthy choices and avoid risk, etc.”

Players who have attended RTP sessions say the course covers every potential scenario from serious legal matters right through to basics like putting a condom on.

Other examples that are drummed into the players include potential extortion, sexual harassment, rape, money and the perils of social media.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Picture: Brian Ach/Getty Images

Players are also told that if they go home with a woman to make sure they have been seen together leaving the venue and to avoid appearing in videos, while there are also cautionary stories of people attempting to extract semen.

The rookie program also addresses drugs, alcohol and family violence, with real-life examples from people who have experienced it.

According to an NBA story published in July this year, the Rookie Transition Program is “designed to help them understand everything that orbits around the game — money, relationships both business and personal, outside influences and other issues — and avoid the hiccups and speed-bumps that could interrupt careers, or end them prematurely”.

Multiple sources have confirmed to Code Sports that NBA players have been known to ask women to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) to go to their room, but one source indicates they aren’t foolproof.

If someone claims sexual harassment, for example, then it becomes complex with a signed NDA.

The NBA has been described as a “crazy” league, where sexual relations on road trips are the “norm” and players can end up having multiple child support payments.

Players immerse themselves in the party culture for a period of time, especially when they are young, before realising they need to “smarten up” otherwise their actions could “bite them on the arse”, according to sources connected to the league.

It has been claimed that the NBA – and other major sports in the US – can be toxic and poisonous behind the scenes based on the big dollars involved.

No matter how much education the NBA provides “there will always be human error”, one source said.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Josh Giddey after Giddey was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021.

Purvis Short, Chief of Player Programs for the union, said the RTP is globally recognised and constantly evolving to match the fresh demands and dangers for players.

“This has always been regarded as one of the most comprehensive professional sports transition programs,” Short told US media.

“We try to cover a wide variety of topics. Our primary goal is to lay a foundation, to provide these first-year players with the necessary content and resources so that they’re able to navigate this environment.

“Our content and our focus have changed … It’s imperative for us to stay on top of things that are happening now so we’re giving these kids the right information and they can have more success than what we’ve enjoyed in the past.

“We all recognise the dangers of social media and are always stressing to understand how to use social media to their benefit, and anything that’s put out there lives out there forever.”

A fact that is clearly not lost on Giddey right now.

Originally published as Parallel Josh Giddey investigations by police and NBA continue as the risks facing young athletes are laid bare