Did Josh Giddey face any criminal charges in alleged relationship with minor scandal? Newport Beach PD investigation explored

OKC Thunder guard Josh Giddey won’t face criminal charges for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a minor, following the Newport Beach Police Department’s investigation.

Per TMZ, NBPD officials in California said that the department closed the case after not finding any “corroborating evidence.” TMZ added, “that the minor and her family were unwilling to cooperate with investigators.”

The case was opened in late November after the allegations went viral on social media.

An anonymous social media user asserted that a girl photographed and videoed with Giddey was a high school junior at the time of their relationship. However, the social media account was later deactivated.

Giddey, 21, declined to comment at the time.

“I understand the question, obviously,” Giddey said. “No further comment right now.”

The NBA also didn’t issue a statement on the investigation, as it instead deferred to the NBPD’s judgment.

During a December appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver touched on the league’s decision to let Giddey continue playing amid the allegations.

He highlighted how the league typically takes an innocent-until-proven-guilty approach regarding player suspensions.

“I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said. “In this case, we have an allegation, and then you have a police investigation and then a parallel league investigation. I also add that, where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat.

“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.”

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Josh Giddey set to continue playing key role for Thunder following end of criminal investigation

Josh Giddey has played in 39 of the Thunder’s 40 games thus far, starting in all 39. He has provided solid all-around production for the Western Conference’s second seed (27-13).

When news of his alleged relationship with a minor first emerged, some fans were concerned about the 21-year-old’s future with OKC. However, with the investigation concluded, Giddey and the Thunder can fully focus on the second half of the season.

As of now, the franchise is on track to secure its first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season. A Thunder playoff appearance would also mark Giddey’s first since he was drafted No. 6 in the 2021 NBA draft.

He's averaging 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.0 3-pointers per game on 45.5% shooting.

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