OKC's Josh Giddey Starts, Gets Huge Ovation Despite NBA Investigation

Oklahoma City Thunder up-and-comer Josh Giddey is currently under investigation by the NBA. This comes after photos and videos surfaced of him with what is believed to have been an underage girl. However, that didn't deter the team from starting him on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Or stop the fans from giving him a big welcome when he was introduced.

Saturday's game marked the first time since the Thunder took the court after news broke that the 21-year-old out of Australia was under investigation.

Nonetheless, the Thunder decided they needed Giddey regardless of what's happening off the court.

In fact, fans showed him their support when he was announced as a starter.

Now, Giddey is of course innocent until proven guilty and isn't even facing any criminal charges as it stands. So, at the moment, he has every right to be out there on the court. He may very well be completely innocent. Hell, you hope he is.

Having said that...

Given the nature of the allegations — that Giddey had engaged in a relationship with an underage girl — and less than 24 hours removed from the announcement that he was being investigated by the league, wouldn't that seem like a good time to say, "Hey, bud, we think we're going to have you sit this one out."

Giddey was asked about the situation on Thursday multiple times, and as you might expect, did what he could to not answer any questions on the matter.

Giddey is in his third season with the Thunder after being the 6th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.