Josh

Giddey bio

He is one of the best young players in the NBA today. Josh Giddey currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder as their starting shooting guard.

Joshua Giddey was born on October 10, 2002, in Yarraville, Victoria, a suburb located in Melbourne, Australia. His parents are Warrick and Kim Giddey and he also has a sister named Hannah. 

He comes from a basketball-oriented family. His mother, Kim, played in the Women’s National Basketball League as part of the Melbourne Tigers. His sister, Hannah, plays college basketball for the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles. At the height of 6 feet 2 inches, she plays as a forward and she is now in her sophomore year.

Josh Giddey’s Father Warrick Giddey

Josh’s father, on the other hand, was something of a legend in the professional basketball scene in Australia. Warrick stands at 6 feet 5 inches and he has played in the National Basketball League since 1987. He played two years with the Illawarra Hawks before transferring to the Melbourne Tigers where he was with for 14 years.

Warrick had a total of 1516 points, 1912 rebounds, 1242 assists, 327 steals, and 119 blocks in 449 games played in his career. He helped the Melbourne Tigers win two NBL championships in 1993 and 1997. Giddey remained with the Tigers after his retirement, and his No. 6 jersey was retired by the team and now hangs in the rafters of John Cain Arena.

To read an in-depth piece on Josh Giddey’s father Warrick Giddey, you can do that here.

As for Josh Giddey, he first attended St. Kevin’s College in Melbourne before becoming one of Australia’s top prospects. As one of the best young prospects, he was a part of the NBA Global Academy and he trained full-time in a training center in Canberra, Australia, called the Australian Institute of Sport, or AIS. During his training at AIS, he attended the University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra to finish his high school studies.

Josh Giddey stood at 6 feet 7 inches during his time at the NBA Academy, and he started to show off when he led his team — VIC Metro — to the title during the Australian Under-18 Championships that were held in April of 2019. 

In the event, the 6’7 combo guard let everybody know that he is an all-around threat as he passed the ball at a high level and shot the ball very well — all of it was backed up by his stats throughout the tournament as he averaged 20 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists, and he shot 55 percent from the field and almost 40 percent from downtown.

His dominant performance attracted interest from various schools in the United States such as TCU, Colorado, Washington State, Utah, Rutgers, Virginia, Louisville, Oklahoma, Texas, Baylor, and Xavier.

In January 2020, Josh Giddey led the NBA Global Academy to win the 2020 Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet that was held in Barcelona, Spain. The Canberra-based squad swept the tournament, 5-0, before dominating FC Barcelona in the final. 

Josh Giddey had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in the final match and he walked away with the tournament MVP after he averaged 11.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

In the same year, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Chicago during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend and he was named as an All-Star of the camp.

After his stint with the NBA Global Academy and the Basketball Without Borders program, Josh Giddey decided to turn professional and join the National Basketball League despite multiple offers from top colleges in the United States.

On March 12, 2020, Josh Giddey joined the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL and he signed as part of the league’s “Next Star Program”. The NBL created this program as a way of helping young elite overseas players develop NBA draft prospects as professionals in lieu of the more famous college basketball route. Josh Giddey was the first Australian player to be a part of the program.

Giddey made his NBL debut on January 15, 2021, against his dad’s former team, Melbourne United. He put up 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in 24 minutes of game time.

On April 26, 2021, Josh Giddey posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first triple-double with the Adelaide 36ers in a loss against the New Zealand Breakers. With his performance, Giddey became the youngest Australian in National Basketball League history to record a triple-double.

In Adelaide’s next game, they faced the Brisbane Bullets and they blew them out with a 101-79 win. In that victory, Josh Giddey finished with 15 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds as he became the first Australian ever to record a triple-double in back-to-back games.

Eight days later, he recorded his third triple-double of the season as he had 11 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 97-88 overtime win against the Sydney Kings. However, he was released from the active playing roster on May 17, 2021, in order for him to prepare for the 2021 NBA Draft. 

Josh Giddey finished the 2020-2021 NBL season with 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.1 steals as he shot 43 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep. Despite only playing 28 games, he led the NBL in assists and ranked sixth in rebounds with his 7.6 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game, respectively.

Due to his impressive performances and record-breaking games, Josh Giddey was named the 2020-2021 NBL Rookie of the Year.

Josh Giddey’s Net Worth

Top picks in recent NBA drafts have started foregoing the traditional formula of the one-and-done rule. Nowadays, we see more and more of these highly-ranked prospects signing to the G-League, or even gaining experience from professional competition abroad. Oklahoma City Thunder's newest Australian combo guard Josh Giddey is that guy. Here, though, we dig into Josh Giddey's net worth in 2022.

More on Josh Giddey’s net worth here.

On April 27, 2021, Josh Giddey officially declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. He was projected to be a lottery pick for that year and he was one of 20 hopefuls to receive an invitation to sit in the green room at the Barclays Center.

In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected the 6 feet 8 inches, 205 lbs combo guard from Melbourne, Australia, with the 6th overall pick. Josh Giddey then signed a four-year $27.21 million rookie deal with the Thunder.

Unfortunately, the Australian playmaker suffered an ankle injury five minutes into his NBA Summer League debut and he was ruled out for the rest of the tournament as a precautionary measure.

Josh Giddey made his NBA debut on October 10, 2021, against the Utah Jazz. He put up 4 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in a losing effort as the Thunder was blown out with a score of 107-86.

On October 27, 2021, the Oklahoma City Thunder welcomed the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center. Josh Giddey put up the first double-double of his career with 18 points and 10 assists in a convincing 123-115 victory. He became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record 10 assists in a game, only behind LeBron James. Unfortunately, LeBron did not suit up for the game as he sat out with a sprained ankle.

Josh Giddey then became the third teenage NBA player in history to get 100 assists and 100 rebounds in their first 20 games, joining LaMelo Ball and LeBron James. He was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the games played in October and November.

On December 26, 2021, Josh Giddey recorded a scoreless double-double as he finished with 0 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 117-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He joins Norm Van Lier, who posted 0 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in January of 1971, as the only players in NBA history to achieve the feat. 

Due to his spectacular play for the month of December, Josh Giddey was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month in December.

In their first game of the new year, 2022, Josh Giddey put up the first triple-double of his NBA career as he finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 95-86 loss against the Dallas Mavericks. He became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double at the age of 19 years and 84 days old, overtaking LaMelo Ball who achieved the feat three months prior. On top of that, he also became the youngest player to lead a team in points, rebounds, and assists in a game. The last person to hold that record was Luka Doncic, who he faced against during his historic performance.

After their 98-81 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on January 31, 2022, Josh Giddey set another milestone in his career as he overtook former NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook, with the most double-doubles in Oklahoma City Thunder history with 11.

On top of that, he joined LeBron James as the youngest to record 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 200 assists in their first 45 games. Ironically, Giddey achieved the feat one game less as it only took him 44 games to record totals of 511 points, 334 rebounds, and 268 assists.

He also joined elite company as the only teenagers in NBA history to achieve the feat alongside LeBron James, LaMelo Ball, and Luka Doncic.

Josh Giddey earned his third straight NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month nod, this time for the games played in the month of January.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Chicago Bulls on February 12, 2022, Josh Giddey recorded the second triple-double of his career as he put up 11 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds in a losing effort. 

However, he joined Luka Doncic as the only players in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles as a teenager. At 19 years and 125 days, Giddey also became the youngest player to record multiple triple-doubles.

He followed up his performance with another triple-double, this time against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Josh Giddey put up a career-high 28 points to go along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 127-123 overtime victory.

Josh Giddey continues to put the league on notice as he joined the legendary Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to record three consecutive triple-doubles as he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Thunder’s loss against the San Antonio Spurs.

Due to his spectacular rookie season, Josh Giddey was chosen to participate in the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars challenge wherein he was selected as part of the 28 players in the pool — the 28 players consist of 12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and 4 players from the NBA G League Ignite developmental squad.

In the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend, the league announced a new format for the rising stars game where the 28 players selected were drafted into four teams that are coached by members of the NBA 75th anniversary team; Team Barry (coached by Rick Barry), Team Isiah (coached by Isiah Thomas), Team Payton (coached by Gary Payton), and Team Worthy (coached by James Worthy).

The four teams will participate in knockout matches to determine the finalists. Each game will be played to a Final Target Score and its theme will be a “Race to 75” to celebrate the NBA’s 75th anniversary. The first two games will be played up to 50 points and the final game will be played until a team reaches 25 points.

Josh Giddey was drafted to Team Worthy alongside fellow rookies Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic, and Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans. 

On top of the Rising Stars game, Josh Giddey was also chosen to participate in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, which will be played between Games 2 and 3 of the Rising Stars event.

The Clorox Clutch Challenge is a shooting competition wherein four teams of two players each compete to make shots in five iconic shots that were made in the NBA Playoffs by members of the NBA 75th anniversary team.

The five spots include Magic Johnson’s baby hook, Ray Allen’s right corner three, Charles Barkley’s shot from the top of the key, Reggie Miller’s three from the right wing, and the iconic Damian Lillard shot from the logo.

It was an unlucky night for Josh Giddey, unfortunately. In the Clorox Rising Stars event, Team Worth fell to Team Isiah with a score of 50-49 as Josh Giddey posted 2 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

As for the Clorox Clutch Challenge, Josh Giddey was teamed up with fellow rookie Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the rookie duo fell to the team of Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane.

Aside from the Rising Stars event, Josh Giddey was also invited to compete in the 2022 Taco Bell Skills Challenge at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. However, the format for the skills challenge was also revamped for this year’s edition.

This time around, three teams of three players will compete in a four-round competition that will test their passing, shooting, and dribbling ability. The two teams with the most “Challenge Points” will advance to the final round to determine the winner of the 2022 Taco Bell Skills Challenge.

The first round of the challenge will be a shooting test where the team members have 30 seconds to shoot from five various spots on the court and each shooting location have different score values. The second round is a passing challenge while the third round is a team relay. The two teams with the most points in the first three rounds advance to the final round which is a half-court shot challenge wherein the team who makes the half-court shot the fastest will win it all.

As for the teams, Josh Giddey was part of Team Rooks along with Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. Their opponents are Team Antetokounmpo which consists of Alex Antetokounmpo of the G League team Raptors 905 and Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks. The last team is Team Cavs which includes Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley.

Josh Giddey and Team Rooks managed to get out of the first three rounds and qualify for the final round where they faced Team Cavs. Giddey’s team shot first and they made the shot in just 9.9 seconds. However, Team Cavs outperformed them as Evan Mobley made the half-court shot for the win in just 5.5 seconds.

Nevertheless, It was surely a fun experience for the Australian freshman despite not being able to win anything. For a rookie to get invited to two days out of the three-day NBA All-Star weekend is an achievement in and of itself. And, it is safe to say that, the way Josh Giddey is playing, this will not be his last time to participate in the NBA All-Star events.

As for the rest of the season for the Australian combo guard, Josh Giddey is on pace to finish as one of the top rookies — and maybe even win the NBA Rookie of the Year by season’s end.

Currently, Josh Giddey is averaging 12.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in 53 games played. He is shooting 42% from the field and 27% from deep this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Right before the NBA All-Star break, Josh Giddey climbed up the rankings of the Kia Rookie Ladder. He is now ranked No. 3 as he climbed up one spot in the last edition. He is just behind Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley as they are No. 2 and No. 1, respectively.

Going by his last three games before the All-Star break, Josh Giddey is definitely on the running to win the NBA Rookie of the Year. Not only that, but he is also on pace to set a few more records as he continuously produces an all-around effort day in and day out.

If Josh Giddey wins the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year, he will join LaMelo Ball as the only players to win the NBL and NBA Rookie of the Year in consecutive years. Ball was also part of the Next Stars program of the NBL and he played the 2019-2020 season with the Illawarra Hawks.

As for his international basketball experience, Josh Giddey has been representing the Australian national team since his under-17 days. However, he has not been in much of FIBA tournaments as of late.

During the 2019 FIBA Under-17 Championship held in New Caledonia, Josh Giddey was an integral part of the Australian national team that won the gold medal.

Australia proved to be a powerhouse in comparison to their Oceania counterparts as they went undefeated in 5 games. On top of that, they beat their competition with a point differential average of 66.4 points. In their first game of the tournament, they beat Guam by 104 points with a final score of 149-45.

As for Josh Giddey, he showed up when it mattered most as he scored 25 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 6 steals in the final game against New Zealand as he led Australia to the FIBA Under-17 Championship gold medal. 

For the tournament, he averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5 assists as he was named to the FIBA U-17 Oceania Championship All-Star Five — the best five players in the tournament.

Josh Giddey made his debut for the Australian national basketball team, known as the Boomers, as he was named part of the squad that will compete in the February 2021 window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. 

He played in Australia’s game against Hong Kong and they easily defeated their opponent with a score of 115-52. As for Josh Giddey, he played for 11 minutes and recorded 11 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. He became the youngest player to play for Australia’s senior basketball team since Ben Simmons made his debut in 2013.

Josh Giddey was included in the player pool for the Australian team that was preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He played in exhibition games in Las Vegas against the United States, Nigeria, and Argentina before the team headed to Japan.

Unfortunately, he did not make it in the Boomers’ 12-man squad for the Olympics. However, he was instead placed on the emergency players list. Despite that, it is only a matter of time before we see the 6-foot-8 guard don the Australian jersey in the Olympic games.

Needless to say, the future is bright for the Australian combo guard. Josh Giddey already is one of the main guys of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their young team is destined for greatness at some point. Only time will tell how Giddey’s career will play out, and we are all here for him to become one of the greats to ever play the game.