Inside The Thunder

Thunder Rookie Josh Giddey Reflects On Short Stint With Australia’s Olympic Team

Before the Thunder drafted Josh Giddey, he spent time with the Australian Olympic team.

Nick Crain

One of the most promising young basketball players to ever come out of Australia, Josh Giddey was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Before he was selected, he actually got to spend some time with Australia’s Olympic team.

While he ultimately didn’t make the final 12-man roster, Giddey got to be around the team, practice with professionals and even get some action in Olympic qualifiers.

In fact, in a game against Nigeria, Giddey finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in a 108-69 victory. The 18-year-old knocked down three of his eight shots in 25 minutes.

While he didn’t make the final roster, these are the types of experiences not many players his age get before entering the NBA. Giddey was asked about this experience at an introductory press conference in Oklahoma City.

“Yeah it was big for me I mean, you know, just to be in that environment early and compete with the NBA talent that we had,” Giddey told SI Thunder. “I’m hoping that 20 years down the line, I'm still gonna be a part of this program. So to get a taste of it at 18 years old and to be able to learn from the NBA vets we have, and then the rookies as well so to hear their perspective on the league on both ends of the scale, was really beneficial. The world class coaching staff that we had on that team was was really good.”

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Even outside of playing with his home country’s Olympic team, Giddey has plenty of experience playing with professionals. He spent all of last season with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia, averaging 10.9 points, 7.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds per contest against grown men.

With NBA Summer League upcoming, Giddey will make his on-court debut in a Thunder uniform in just a few days. 

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Nick Crain
NICK CRAIN

Nick has spent the last four seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting. He’s continued to produce Thunder content through writing for Forbes.com and podcasting with The Uncontested Podcast, as well as branching out to cover the NBA as a whole for SLAM Online.

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