How Josh Giddey grew to be the face of Australian basketball’s next generation
Josh Giddey has rapidly risen to become the new face of Australian basketball, and the OKC Thunder star looks set to cash in big as his career unfolds.
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He’s the face of a new golden generation and now Josh Giddey is on the verge of signing a new NBA contract that could exceed $A400m.
That’s right, he could earn up to half-a-billion dollars over the next five-six years if you throw in endorsement deals.
It’s mind-boggling money and he’s only 20.
Giddey has come a long way since his basketballing family could only afford a small meal deal at the Maccas drive-through.
He is already a phenomenal player – the youngest in NBA history to record a triple-double and the first rookie to notch up three consecutive triple-doubles since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in 1961.
But, when you hear Giddey talk and watch the way he carries himself, you just know there is still so much more to come.
At a speaking engagement in Sydney, Australian basketball legend Luc Longley commanded the microphone and interrogated Giddey on how he adjusted to life in the NBA, the distractions that come with it and his drive to be better.
When the then-teenager finished with his answers, Longley pushed his chair back, stood and applauded.
Giddey became an instant multi-millionaire when he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
He can afford a $20,000 Rolex, own flash cars like a BMW M8 Competition Coupe and a Corvette C8 and dress in expensive threads.
But on the hardwood Giddey is a throwback to a bygone era of ballers, which is why this rising superstar slots seamlessly into the Boomers culture.
Fellow Aussie great Chris Anstey believes Giddey has the potential to become the next Steve Nash — one of the greatest passing point guards in NBA history.
“I was really fortunate to play with Nash for a period and for me Josh demonstrates similar qualities as a player and teammate,” Anstey said.
For now, the young superstar holds the keys to the Boomers’ hopes at the FIBA men’s basketball World Cup which begins this week.
The emergent Oklahoma City Thunder point guard knows expectations are high but he’s used to dealing with the non-stop scrutiny that comes with being a bona fide NBA star.
“There’s always a lot of outside noise and being an NBA player comes with a lot of eyes on you and a lot of media and attention,” Giddey told Code Sports.
“Keeping the main thing, the main thing is what I’ve been focused on over the last couple of years and just understanding how I’m still so early in my career.
“It’s easy to get caught up in where I’m at now, but I understand the little things that go on throughout a career are just a blip on the radar.
“I’m not getting too caught up in what’s happening now, more just trying to stack good days together and build for the future, whether that’s with the Boomers or in the NBA.”
FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW
The son of former Melbourne Tiger Warrick Giddey, Josh’s formative years were spent biting the ankles of the likes of Aussie basketball legends Andrew Gaze and Mark Bradtke.
Warrick says the Giddey family was by no means well-to-do. That grounding, along with spending time in the elite basketball atmosphere witnessing the sacrifices players made for the team, has shaped his son.
“You look at our family traits and none of us have been involved in wealth and we’ve always had humble beginnings and had to work hard for everything,” Warrick said.
“I remember going through the McDonald’s drive through and saying to the kids that we could only afford a small meal deal.
“You can’t even upsize to a large.
“So, we did things tough, both financially and trying to live to provide everything for the kids.”
He might not have had much, but Josh learned the joy of giving very early in life.
“I remember we’d pay Josh $100 to do the Melbourne Tigers or United camps and he’d say ‘I’ll go halves and bring a mate’,” Warrick said.
“So, he knows all about a day’s pay for $50 and now what it is like at the other end.
“It’s all about life lessons and that is what keeps Josh humble and grounded – he knows where he and his family come from.”
It’s a good thing Josh did absorb those lessons around the Melbourne players because dad says he was “an annoying little prick at training — I’m sure the Tigers boys have told you that, he used to run around and annoy everyone.”
Warrick has fond memories of Josh’s passion for the sport he played professionally for 15 years, winning two NBL titles along the way.
He remembers taking Josh to his first Tigers camp as a six-year-old.
The camp began at 10am, but Warrick was running the show and had to be at the courts to set up from 8am. Fully expecting Josh to be buggered and keen for bed at lunch time, he underestimated his son’s hunger for hoops.
“We finished the camp at 4pm and I was still trying to drag Josh out at 4.30pm, such was his love and appetite for the game,” he grinned.
“I remember when we bought our house in Yarraville and one of the first things we did was put some concrete down to put in a basketball ring.
“Josh was constantly out there playing until we had to call him in because it was starting to get slippery, especially during winter.”
LEARNING THE RIGHT WAY FROM THE START
Josh has grown into a level-headed man, but how did he develop the skills and team-first selflessness on the court which, in 2020, caught the eye of the Adelaide 36ers and then the Thunder, who made him the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA draft — and an instant multi-millionaire — aged just 18?
Giddey senior planted the seeds as coach of Josh’s first basketball team at Wembley Primary School.
“I wanted to show Josh the right way from the start,” Giddey said.
“So, the basketball etiquette and how to be a good person on the court.
“From a young age I told Josh to be inclusive of others and he would always rebound the ball and let other teammates shoot it.
“I was self-conscious about getting criticised from other parents saying the coach’s son is a hog who won’t pass, so I would almost boot him up the arse if he wasn’t including people.
“I also told him if he has a two on one, give your open teammate the ball, because it’s about making the right decisions.
“I told him one day you’ll be passing it to the NBA guys who will be dunking it.”
Sage advice from a father who recognised his son’s gifts early.
Apart from the obvious 203cm height and ever-growing muscular frame that makes running a team that little bit easier, Giddey’s calling card is a court vision, passing ability and basketball IQ that gives him the rare ability to make his teammates better.
It’s a gift that has helped him achieve a slew of ‘youngest player ever’ statistical marks and given Boomers’ legend and former Dallas Mavericks big man Chris Anstey to compare him to teammate Steve Nash — a two-time NBA MVP who was one of the best playmakers in league history.
“I was really fortunate to play with Nash for a period and for me Josh demonstrates similar qualities as a player and a teammate,” Anstey said.
“Like Steve, Josh enjoys his teammates’ success and is happy to be a part of his teammates’ being successful.
“Josh also doesn’t equate scoring a lot of points to success and from what you hear from any team he has been a part of, he is a good locker room guy.
“Josh is only a baby, but I think he will grow into a tremendous leader.
“The selflessness in which he plays the game at a really high level, crossed with his humility, he will be a natural leader.
“And if Josh is anything like Steve Nash was, he’ll be incredible.”
LEGEND’S SHOW-STOPPING BOOMERS’ ‘TEST’
Aside from Anstey, Giddey’s combination of character and skill has wowed many of our greatest basketball exponents.
Not the least Chicago Bulls three-peat centre Luc Longley, who produced a memorable moment during a meet-and-greet in Sydney last year.
Longley was in the crowd as Giddey sat on stage, microphone in hand, answering fans’ questions.
As Giddey surveyed the room to answer his next question, Longley’s booming voice broke the silence.
“Josh, big fan,” Longley said, deadpan as Josh smiled and the crowd giggled, realising the special moment unfolding before their eyes.
“I really like the way you go about it, but my question is this: You first go to the NBA and you’ve watched these guys your whole life — every athlete’s bigger, faster, longer, stronger — [but] … was there a moment when you realised, ‘Hang on, I can be good here?’ It looks to me like the game slows down for you, now.”
You could hear a pin drop as the country’s brightest young basketball talent carefully considered his answer to the trailblazing godfather of Aussie hoops.
“It took me a little while to find my feet and play the game at the pace I play at,” Giddey replied.
“Coming to a new league there’s so much adrenaline going through you. I was just naturally rushed: everything was sped up for me and it took me a little while to slow down.
“Once I found my role in the team, understood what they needed me to do, the game started slowing down.”
Phones began popping up around the room as folks caught on to the significance of the interaction between two generations of Australian basketball’s most influential stars.
The crowd sat enthralled as the pair discussed the differences in style of play between the NBA and the international game.
Longley finished with one last question — it felt like a test Giddey didn’t know he was taking, as if the Boomers giant was trying to determine if Josh was truly the right person to carry Australian basketball forward.
“One of the things, I suppose, is the NBA breeds — professional sport breeds — divas and rock stars and prima donnas and we all feel, and I’m sure I speak for all of us, like that’s not going to happen for you,” Longley said.
“I’d like to know what your strategy is to not get wound up in that side of the game.”
Giddey replied: “I mean, the NBA can be a circus at times and there’s a lot of things going on.”
“I’ve never wanted to be involved in all that. I’ve always kept myself humble and grounded, and testament to my parents for the way they raised me.
“I was always a team player; I love getting teammates involved and I think that carries to off the court to wanting to be a good person regardless of what my platform might be.”
Longley pushed his chair back, stood and applauded.
It was a moment everyone in the room will remember forever.
MIND-BOGGLING MONEY
Giddey’s first NBA contract was worth nearly $42 million (US$27 million) over four years.
That’s a sum that set him up for generational wealth.
But it pales in comparison to what he could make.
Eligible to sign an extension with the Thunder at the end of next season, if he can make an All NBA team or win a major award, he could earn more than $400 million (US$270 million) over five years.
Once that contract’s done, the next one could be insane — somewhere in excess of $600 million (US$400 million).
Aussie super agent Daniel Moldovan’s expert hands will handle that side of it, Giddey is hyper-focused on turning the rising team into a contender.
The Thunder made the play-in last season, defeated New Orleans and then fell to Minnesota to miss the playoffs proper.
With giant lottery pick Chet Holmgren added to a back-court nucleus of Giddey and Canada star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, expectations are high.
“After last year, winning that play-in game and being one win away from a playoff series, I guess we fast-tracked external expectations but, internally, we always knew what we could do as a team, we’ve got a talented group and we believed in each other.
“We’re very young but expectations are going to grow as time goes on with our team and as guys start to get better and better.
“I keep saying 82 games is a long year, so we’ll just take it game-by-game and we’ll see where we’re at.”
One enjoyable little competition Giddey’s involved in is the fashion stakes.
Gilgeous-Alexander, whose Canada team is one of the Boomers’ chief roadblocks at the World Cup, is widely considered the most-stylish NBA player.
Giddey isn’t far behind, with a massive wardrobe of designer brands and the jewellery and timepieces to match.
BRINGING THE BOOM
Giddey has a sole FIBA appearance in the green and gold for the Boomers — a 115-52 win over Hong Kong during Asia Cup qualification in 2020.
He’ll make his major tournament debut in Okinawa next Friday when the Aussies meet Finland in their 2023 World Cup opener.
An excited nation expects — nay demands — this team exceeds the Olympic bronze medal success of Tokyo and all eyes are on Giddey and company to deliver.
It’s a pressure he’s more than ready to shoulder as he immerses himself in the Boomers famed culture of mateship and ‘Aussie battler’ spirit.
“The culture’s not really something you can understand until you’re in it,” Giddey said.
“It’s very hard to not fit in with this group, it’s a great group of guys to be around, everyone’s on the same page with the same goal of winning a gold medal at a big tournament.”
That initial taste of Boomers culture in 2021 ended in disappointment — one of those aforementioned blips — as a teenage Giddey was the last player cut from the Tokyo squad that would go on to win rose gold.
Far from crushed, disappointment turned to pride in seeing his compatriots make history and only grew the anticipation that he could be part of an era of sustained success for the green and gold.
“Missing the Olympics was tough and obviously I wanted to be a part of that team but I was young at the time and understood that they probably wanted to take more experienced and older guys to an Olympic games,” he said.
“I watched a lot of it and I was very excited to see Australian basketball finally finish on a podium which was years in the making.
“With the talent levels we’ve got, we’re as good as we’ve ever been and I think a gold medal at the World Cup is right on the table for us to take.”
Whatever the result, much rests Giddey’s sublime talent, as it will for the next decade.
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Originally published as How Josh Giddey grew to be the face of Australian basketball’s next generation
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