Why is Josh Giddey’s nickname “SLOB Wizard”? Looking at reason behind catchy monicker for OKC Thunder forward

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder has got himself a new nickname: the SLOB wizard. Despite the Australian guard protesting the catchy moniker, it has quickly gained popularity with NBA fans. So, where did the unique name originate from?

One of Giddey’s best skills is his elite passing, a talent that really comes into play as an in-bounder. He can see player movements unfolding ahead of time, allowing him to weave tight passes through unseen gaps to set teammates up for open shots and layups.

Throwing inbound passes is known as the sideline out-of-bounds play, with the rather unconventional acronym of SLOB. John Hollinger of The Athletic praised Giddey's passing skills on an X post showcasing the Aussie player threading a pass to a teammate in OKC's 108-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the viral post, Holliger called Giddey a "SLOB wizard," and the nickname was born.

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Josh Giddey, the SLOB wizard

The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. The surprise move drew a lot of ire from OKC fans and a lot of NBA analysts at the time, but Giddey has silenced them all.

Giddey is one of the best inbounds passers in the league. There is a reason coach Mark Daigneault has placed the responsibilities of running those actions on the young guard's shoulders.

The Thunder coach is a master at drawing up sideline out-of-bounds and baseline out-of-bounds plays, and Josh Giddey is excellent at executing them on the court.

Asked by a reporter whether he prefers side out or baseline out plays, Giddey said:

“Sideline or baseline, I am just trying to make a play. It is just the play we run, usually run the same one, the first read is usually to Lu Dort, and the pass is hard to make by throwing a chest pass. It has got to be a bounce pass if it is going to get to him.”

Josh Giddey does not like the SLOB wizard nickname, though. When asked about it, he said:

"Let’s not make that stick. It’s been sticking too hard already."

Only time will tell if the new nickname for the Thunder star will stick.