Currently on an absolute roll this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the number one spot in the Western Conference. With a 41-17 overall record so far, the Thunder are looking to take over the West this year. However, the campaign did not come with a ribbon tied to it as the Thunder were under a lot of scrutiny due to their guard Josh Giddey early on in the season, something does seem to be behind them now. However, teammate Chet Holmgren may have indirectly indicated otherwise.
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Chet Holmgren recently liked a meme through his official Instagram which ended up catching a lot of attention. Holmgren liked a post where the caption said, “Me looking at bro when he says, ‘she has potential’ when a 6 year old walks past us.”
Chet Holmgren liked this post I’m cryin pic.twitter.com/WQ8qNyr6Sp
— ♟️⚡️ (@mindsetofbron) February 28, 2024
Holmgren liking this post may have been him indicating the allegations that Josh Giddey was involved in. According to NBCNews, Josh Giddey was under investigation for being involved in a relationship with an underage girl in her late teen years (15-16).
The Newport Beach Police Department and the NBA both launched investigations into the matter that went on for months. But in the end, Giddey was cleared of all charges as the police “were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”
While Josh Giddey was cleared of all allegations, the meme like by Chet Holmgren has many thinking about what actually transpired between Giddey and the girl.
One fan on X tweeted, “The Josh giddy effect.”
The Josh giddy effect
— LaKeRsOnToP (@kory_nathan) February 28, 2024
While another fan commented, “Talkin bout giddey.”
talkin bout giddey
— ♂️ (@houseofhell_) February 28, 2024
Here are a few more reactions from fans on X.
That Giddey culture smh
— BigSportsGuy (@DontBeSoft_) February 28, 2024
lock giddey up bro i seen enough
— Aiden(sam merrills biggest fan) (@AidenMauro14) February 28, 2024
we all know who he talking about
— the11o (@vrothe11o) February 28, 2024
The meme is something that many would categorize as ‘Gen-Z’ humor. And there is a strong chance that Chet Holmgren may have liked that post without thinking twice or even implicating anything towards his teammate. Yet fans have a way of blowing things out of proportion, with this likely just being another example of the same phenomenon.
Was Josh Giddey charged in the end?
This new Oklahoma City Thunder squad has had immense success on the floor. A big reason for that is the positive locker room environment paired with the amazing chemistry the players have with one another.
Josh Giddey first got entangled with these accusations back in November. Since then, the 6’8 shooting guard has been crucified by fans and even some analysts on social media and national television over the unproven allegations. However, the guard faced no legal ramifications due to the girl in question’s family refusing to cooperate with investigators on the case.
Giddey was cleared of all charges in the middle of January which is the reason why he was not released by the Thunder’s front office. The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft has been averaging 11.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG this season on 52.1 true shooting percentage.
It is impressive that Giddey has still been a contributing factor in the Thunder’s success this year, despite dealing with such accusations off the court. Hopefully, the Australian guard can continue to be a contributor as the Thunder look to take over the West by the end of the season, along with staying out of any other serious controversies.
