Josh Giddey reportedly is at risk of losing a $40 million sponsorship deal after allegations surfaced on social media that the Oklahoma City Thunder player slept with an underage girl.
“Josh Giddey’s $40 million deal as the face of Weet-Bix is at risk with the iconic Australian breakfast cereal already wiping the Australian basketball star from their social media accounts and monitoring the fallout to the NBA investigation into possible inappropriate behaviour with a female,” wrote Matt Logue
“Giddey, 21, has been one of the faces of Weet-Bix for the past two years but Code Sports can reveal the company has removed several videos and posts from its social media accounts featuring the Boomers World Cup star.
“Despite appearing to erase any trace of Giddey from their social channels, parent company Sanitarium said it was monitoring the fallout of the investigation.”
The 21-year-old is in his third NBA season after he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Australia. He has a sponsorship deal with Weet-Bix, a cereal brand in his home country, that may now be in jeopardy because of the scandal.
Last week, a video and pictures surfaced on social media showing Giddey with a girl who is said to be a junior in high school. Though Giddey has reportedly has been removed from the social media accounts for the Sanitarium Health Food Company, it has not cut ties with him as of yet.
“We are obviously aware of news surrounding Josh Giddey and are waiting for facts to be confirmed,” a spokesperson told Code Sports.
“We are in contact with Josh’s management team and waiting on further detail at this point.”
The NBA is investigating the matter, but no action has been taken toward Giddey so far.
Giddey declined to comment on the matter last week, and so did Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. Giddey played in Oklahoma City’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday that ended the Thunder’s six-game winning streak.
“He’s available to play, will play, no change in status from a basketball standpoint, still have no comment on anything else,” Daigneault said. “Just with the information that we have at this point, that’s the decision that we’ve made. It’s really not even a decision, to be honest with you. It’s obviously a league matter at this point so, the ball is in their court on that.”
The matter could begin to overshadow an excellent start to the season by the Thunder, who are taking an 11-5 record into their game at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren are among the players leading a push to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
Giddey is not the only controversial figure drawing attention in the NBA this season. Charlotte Hornets player Miles Bridges recently returned from a 30-game suspension that was related to domestic violence charges, and in October, he also faced an arrest warrant reportedly related to a protective order connected to that case.
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Emoni Bates recently got into an exchange on social media with a fan after showing support for Bridges.
In addition, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant should soon return from a 25-game suspension related to his behavior with firearms.
These controversies may take attention away from an exciting start to the 2023-24 NBA season that includes the inaugural In-Season Tournament, and the league must be careful in how it navigates the issues.
