- NBA. Stephen Curry to the Celtics? Bob Myers reveals how Danny Ainge pushed to sign him
- NBA. The crazy stat that highlights LeBron James' longevity: he's faced 35% of the players in NBA history
Josh Giddey might have gotten off with a federal charge for his alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor, but the NBA hasn't let him off the hook yet as it continues investigating the matter.
The Oklahoma City Thunder forward has been rocked by the scandal for months, although he has managed to continue his career in the league for the moment, as initially he was claimed to have slept with 16-year-old girl before it emerged that they had allegedly had a relationship for some time.
The Newport Beach Police Department ended their own investigation into the issue due to a lack of corroborating evidence, with the woman in question being said to have refused to participate in the matter.
TMZ reports that the NBA's investigation into the matter is ongoing and this is consistent with that the Commissioner, Adam Silver, previously said as he declared the NBA would only make its decision following the police's verdict.
Giddey's 2023 stats
Giddey has, understandably, been unable to match the same standard of basketball performance as he did in 2022/23 when he averaged 16.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 6.2 assists per game.
This season, as he has continued playing through the scandal, he's posted 11.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game and 4.6 assists per game marking a drop off in the three main offensive categories.
He reportedly met the girl in 2022 with an assumption that was of legal age, believing her to be 19 and since the claims emerged on November 23, he has regularly been targeted by fans and teams.
Despite that, Mike Daigneault stood by him, saying, "Just with the information that we have at this point, that's the decision that we made."
Who do the Thunder play next?
The Thunder won their game on January 19 by defeating the Utah Jazz 134-129 in a closely-fought game at the Delta Center.
They now face a huge game on January 20 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with the game being forecast to start at 22:00 ET.
The Thunder chases the Timberwolves by two games in the Western Conference so a victory will really put the pressure on their NBA rivals.