Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey will reportedly not face charges after being investigated for an alleged inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
The Newport Beach Police Department has closed its investigation, which was opened in November to look into the online allegations, according to multiple sources. Officials were unable to find corroborating evidence.
The family of the minor involved in the allegations reportedly hired famed attorney Gloria Allred in December. She is known for taking high-profile and controversial cases centered around women’s rights.
GIDDEY CLEARED: I just got off the phone with Newport Beach Police. They tell me the case pertaining to Thunder's Josh Giddey is closed. No charges will be filed.
They say they found no information that corroborated criminal activity related to Giddey.
— Abigail Ogle📝 (@KOCOAbigail) January 17, 2024
A since-deleted social media post went viral in November that showed Giddey had been in an alleged relationship with an underage girl. Giddey elected to not give an official comment on the allegations in the immediate aftermath.
“I understand the question obviously, but there’s no further comment right now,” Giddey said on Nov. 24 following the first practice after the allegations arose.
The NBA is still conducting its investigation of Giddey. It opened its inquiry hours after Giddey spoke to the media. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in an ESPN interview in December the league wouldn’t take action until the police investigation concluded.
“I think if you look back, I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said. “So we have an allegation and then you have a police investigation and a parallel league investigation.
“I’ll also add that where there’s a criminal investigation, we take a backseat. You have an allegation, you have an ongoing criminal investigation — that impacts how the players and Players Association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights.
“I’m not going to say never ever, but I think this is the path we’ve consistently followed in the past. … That’s where things currently stand.”
Giddey has continued to play for the Thunder amid both investigations. In 39 games, he’s averaging 11.8 points on 45.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
UPDATE: The Newport Beach PD officially released a statement on Giddey’s investigation, which they’ve closed:
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