Josh Giddey is having his worst year on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Virtually every metric is down compared to last season, and Giddey's minutes, points, rebounds, and assists per game are all the lowest they've been in his three-year career.
More urgently, Giddey is also in the midst of an investigation by the NBA and Newport Beach Police Department in California. The investigation is looking into an allegation that Giddey has been in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
The allegation stems from social media posts released in late November, which showed Giddey and an unidentified female. In one clip, Giddey is seen standing shirtless behind a woman; in another, he refers to "my girl" while talking with someone else outside a nightclub.
While there are obviously legal implications in this situation, Giddey could also take a major financial hit. One of his sponsors, Weet-Bix breakfast cereal, removed posts containing Giddey from its social media channels. Giddey has a $40 million endorsement deal with the brand — a deal that could be in jeopardy.
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"I understand the question, obviously, but there's no further comment right now," Giddey said when asked about the allegations during a media session.
Since those social media posts were removed, however, some new details have come out.
Sanitarium Health Food Company, which owns and manufactures Weet-Bix, offered an explanation for the removal:
"We know how hard negative social media comments can be for anyone, especially for young athletes. We removed promotional assets featuring Josh Giddey from our own channels out of a desire to minimise opportunities for negative commentary towards Josh while the NBA is looking into the current situation. It was not a precursor to any decisions on Josh's contract as a Weet-Bix ambassador. We are still in contact with Josh's management team and awaiting on the facts surrounding this matter."
A story from CODE Sports also indicates the alleged relationship occurred back in 2021, during Giddey's rookie season. At the time, he was 19, and the woman was reportedly 15. Per the article, he thought she was the same age as him. After a one-night stand, he reportedly ended the relationship.
The minor and her family are also refusing to cooperate with Newport Beach police. They may not want additional attention, or, as CODE Sports suggested, they don't want to damage Giddey's career.
Throughout the entire investigation, Giddey has continued to play for the Thunder. It's the opposite result as Wander Franco, the MLB player who was immediately placed on the Tampa Bay Rays' restricted list as the league and the Dominican Republic look into his own alleged relationship with a minor.
There's still a lot to uncover with everything here. For now, it looks like Weet-Bix is still supporting one of its brand ambassadors — and Giddey is continuing to make money from them.
