Live stream: Aussie NBA star Josh Giddey has special connection with National Junior Classic

It’s the tournament where an Aussie basketball sensation made his name and, after a Covid break, the next generation are ready to leave a mark. Catch 128 games from the National Junior Classic.

Taking on the likes of Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum is not something Josh Giddey just grew into once he was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Australia’s latest basketball sensation developed the skills needed to play in the NBA by testing himselt against the best junior players in the country in tournaments like the National Junior Classic.

After a two-year pause due to Covid the National Junior Classic returns this Queen’s Birthday long weekend with Australia’s best 128 club teams from under-12 to under-18s boys and girls battling it out at the State Basketball Centre and Dandenong Basketball Stadium.

Josh Giddey has gone onto enjoy a successful start to his NBA career. He played at the last National Junior Classic held in 2019. Photo: Basketball Victoria.

News Corp Australia is partnering with Basketball Victoria to live stream 128 games from the National Junior Classic for all subscribers on it’s new streaming platform Kommunity TV.

At the last invitation-only elite junior event in 2019, a 16-year-old Giddey helped the Melbourne Tigers reach the under-18 boys grand final against South Australia’s Sturt Sabres.

They might have lost 64-62 in a nailbiter but Giddey showed his NBA potential scoring 30 of his team’s points.

Aussie basketball legend Andrew Gaze said playing in that level of tournament had done wonders for Josh’s development.

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“For players like Josh it’s important to test yourself against the best players in the country,” he said.

“He played in a few along the way and you could see how much better he got every year.

“It’s amazing to think he was selected sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft 15 months later.”

The best junior basketballers from across the country will descend on Melbourne as they aim to follow in Josh Giddey’s footsteps.

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots against the Milwaukee Bucks during a NBA clash in Wisconsin. Photo: Getty Images

The event is capped at 16 teams per age group with invitations to the Classic extended to the top interstate teams and the highest-ranking eligible Victorian VJBL teams and selected Junior Country Championships winning teams.

This year’s Classic will host 33 teams from South Australia, 20 teams from NSW and six team from Canberra across the four age groups.

Warrick Giddey, Josh’s father and a Melbourne Tigers legend in his own right, was the coach of the side that finished second in 2019.

Giddey snr is a proud advocate for the tournament he has dubbed the “unofficial national club championships”.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing all the talent from across Australia,” he said.

“It’s just amazing how much young talent there is today. I tell parents (the National Junior Classic) is world class.

“These kids could go and play the age group anywhere in the world and be competitive.

“And you know, that’s Australian basketball.

“We‘re as strong as anyone in the world.”

Giddey was a standout for the Tigers in the 2019 tournament.

Over the last several decades the majority of Australia’s Boomers and Opals players including Gaze have competed in the National Junior Classic.

“I remember playing in the event when I was a kid and it’s continued to build from there and maintained its prestige,” Gaze said.

Even when Josh Giddey was living in Canberra spending time at the Australian Institute of Sport and NBA Global Academy he always wanted to come back and play for the Tigers in the Classic.

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The team first principles he learned from his father coming through the Tigers junior system have turned Giddey into one of the most promising pass-first point guards in the NBA.

Josh Giddey, 4, as a young basketball hopeful with his father and future Tigers coach Warrick Giddey. Pic. Glenn Daniels.

Gaze said Josh’s willingness to bring other people into the game, which has been a hallmark of his first season in the NBA, was a trait passed down through his genes.

“Being unselfish comes naturally to him with his passing instincts,” Gaze said.

“If you look at his dad, they’re both guys who relied on their instincts to have an impact — it’s something you can’t teach.

“It all comes naturally to him, but the ability to pull it off, all comes from practice.”

The Giddey connection to the Tigers remains as strong as ever with Warrick currently coaching the club’s NBL1 South women’s team.

Hannah, Josh’s older sister, is playing in the side in between college seasons while his younger siblings are still part of the junior representative teams.

Don’t miss a minute of the action from the National Junior Classic, with six courts streamed simultaneously across two venues from 8am, Saturday. Tune in via kommunitytv.com.au.

The 19-year-old has made a huge impression on world basketball.