“Caris LeVert was the first NBA player who I ever spoke to, it is crazy to share the floor with him”: Josh Giddey recalls how the Pacers star instilled self-confidence in him 3 years ago at a basketball camp

Rookie Josh Giddey reflects on sharing the floor with Caris LeVert, the first NBA player to show faith in him at basketball without borders camp. 

Oklahoma City Thunder has been rebuilding ever since Russell Westbrook’s departure. They have already landed amazing young talent like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Lu Dort. But they are unlikely to enter playoff contention this season with a 15-34 record so far.

Ever since the surprising win over Kevin Durant and the Nets last month they were on a 7-game losing streak. OKC managed to snap it last night with a close win over Portland Trail Blazers.

Josh Giddey played the first overtime of his career Friday night against Indiana Pacers. In addition, he has a special relationship with Pacers’ Caris LeVert which he revealed in the post-game press conference.

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Josh Giddey couldn’t believe he was sharing the floor with Caris LeVert

OKC puts up a good fight almost every other night but they fall short when facing teams with a superstar. This is obviously a consequence of not having an experienced player in their lineup.

However, this rebuilding mode gives their young talent an opportunity to play consequential minutes so early on in their careers. Josh Giddey is clearly making the best use of that. Recently, he became the youngest player to have a triple-double. After a 110-113 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder rookie discussed what went wrong.

After the game, he revealed how Caris LeVert gave him confidence at a very crucial point in his life. “Actually I remember that today right as I’m about to play Caris LeVert. He was the first NBA player who I ever spoke to. He gave me a lot of advice after that camp. This was when no one knew who I was”

He added, ” LeVert helped me out a lot and gave me a lot of lessons. And he was big on believing in me and my potential. Hearing that from an NBA player did a lot for me in terms of self-confidence. It is crazy that three years down the track we are playing on the same floor.”

Whatever advice LeVert gave him clearly worked in the latter’s favor. Josh became the 6th pick in the 2021 NBA draft and currently leads the Thunder in rebounds and assists among other achievements.

OKC is set to face Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night and the outcome will most likely be the same as the last one.

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