Newport Beach police have opened an investigation that includes Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey after a viral social media post last week implied that Giddey had a relationship with a person younger than the legal age of consent. TMZ Sports first broke the news of the police investigation on Monday. On Wednesday, Newport Beach police issued the following press release:
The Newport Beach Police Department is aware of information being circulated online involving an alleged relationship between professional basketball player Josh Giddey and a female minor. The Newport Beach Police Department is actively seeking additional information related to these allegations and pursuing all leads and evidence to obtain the facts of the case.
The Newport Beach Police Department aims to ensure a fair and thorough investigative process while maintaining the privacy and dignity of everyone involved. At this time, NBPD detectives are still conducting an active investigation. Anyone who may be able to provide additional information on this case is encouraged to contact Detective C. Carter at 949-644-3783 or cecarter@nbpd.org.
Any further information would be released on Twitter, the department said.
This followed an announcement from an NBA spokesperson last week that the league itself also was investigating. The Athletic's Shams Charania said the league was looking into if Giddey had an "inappropriate relationship with a minor." Five minutes later, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said the league was looking into if Giddey was "involved in an improper relationship with an underage girl."
All these investigations were prompted by a post that went viral on social media, claiming that Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a high school junior. The post showed videos and photos of Giddey with a person of undetermined age. In one video, Giddey said he was "here with your beautiful sister" and wished someone "good luck with your season." In another video, he said, "Me and my girl, about to head back to mine."
When asked by The Oklahoman's Joel Lorenzi about the police investigation, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, "I’m not gonna comment on anything as it relates to Josh off the court" and added that Giddey would continue to play, which he has. Giddey told reporters, "I understand the question, obviously, but there's no further comment right now."
