NBA News 2023: High-profile agent, Josh Giddey ally sacked over controversial Insta post
One of Australian basketball’s most powerful figures - and the high-profile agent of NBA star Josh Giddey - has been fired over a controversial social media post.
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The crisis engulfing Josh Giddey has taken an unexpected turn, with confirmation his agent Daniel Moldovan has been fired from prominent management company, Octagon, for making divisive comments on social media that were deemed a “gross” violation of the company’s policies.
According to US-based reporter, Ethan Sherwood Strauss, who runs the website House of Strauss, Octagon sacked Moldovan after becoming aware that he had attacked a Black Lives Matter post supporting Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Southern Israel.
Sources have confirmed Moldovan will remain Giddey’s manager despite the agent’s separation from Octagon.
The confirmation of the split between Moldovan and Octagon comes as the NBA and Newport Beach police department each launch investigations into Giddey’s alleged inappropriate behaviour with a young woman.
Moldovan has played a vital role in guiding Giddey onto the NBA stage in 2021 when he went No.6 in the draft and signed a four-year $40m contract.
Moldovan joined Octagon after building the successful Lighthouse Sports Management and has become the most powerful and influential agent in Australian basketball.
Outside of NBA young guns Giddey and Dyson Daniels, among his clients are reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks and a number of the Australian league’s best and most-recognisable basketballers, including Melbourne United captain Chris Goulding, star Sydney Kings import DJ Hogg and 36ers pair Isaac Humphries and Mitch McCarron.
Moldovan is a modern Orthodox Jew who has spoken out on the tragedies in Gaza.
In the attack on October 7, Hamas used paragliders to descend on the Re’im music festival before killing hundreds and kidnapping others across the border.
In response to this detail, a Black Lives Matter chapter in Chicago posted a picture of a paraglider with a Palestinian flag and a caption that read, “I stand with Palestine”.
Moldovan responded to that image on Instagram, with his own caption:
“72 hours after terrorists’ paraglided into a music festival and slaughtered 260 young people. This is how BLM chose to symbolise where their support lies. F*** BLM and anyone who supports them.”
This Instagram post has since been deleted.
Octagon, whose NBA talent stable includes Golden State Warriors NBA star Steph Curry and Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo, provided a US-based reporter with a statement on parting ways with Moldovan.
“Octagon became aware that Daniel Moldovan made divisive, disparaging and corrosive remarks that do not represent our values or what we stand for.
“We immediately launched an investigation into the reported incident. It was determined that Daniel’s comments and actions were a gross violation of our policies that are in place to protect the longstanding integrity of the company, its employees and clients, and we promptly terminated his employment.”
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Originally published as NBA News 2023: High-profile agent, Josh Giddey ally sacked over controversial Insta post
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