Like a bolt from the blue, another scandal broke out and, as they say, “out of nowhere.” This is the Australian point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Josh Giddey. This season was not the best in terms of individual indicators, but they decreased due to the fact that Oklahoma had a fairly deep roster for this season, which allows it to currently occupy second place in the Western Conference.
But now what promised to be a revolutionary season for the Thunder could turn into a media disaster for the organization because of what happened. Yesterday, a short video of Giddy hugging what appears to be a very, very young girl appeared online. The hug between both people was such that it clearly indicated the presence of a romantic connection. Another confirmation is that in one of the videos, Josh called her his girlfriend.
This immediately spread on social media, so it was quickly established that the girl’s name is Liv Cook and she is currently in high school. It was later discovered that she was 15 years old, however, they later reported that she was actually 17. Let’s say that there is no general clarity on this matter, as there is with all the facts of this case.
Discussions on social media erupted again and with greater force when a photograph from Liv Cook’s Snapchat was leaked showing two naked lovers and the caption “I just slept with Josh Giddy.”
Liv Cook and Josh Giddy
Photo: from Josh Giddy’s personal archive.
If before this it was clear that Cook and Giddy were dating, but there were no sexual connotations anywhere, then it appeared. Then there were many who doubted whether the same Liv Cook appeared on Snapchat, because some facial features seemed to be different. However, the girl presented here also looks quite young.
A video with Liv Cook has already appeared today, where, faced with the facts, her friend asks what is happening to her. While she was in the middle of a big party and clearly in a good mood, she bluntly said the following to the camera.
“Yes, we met with Josh Giddy. But I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
So, we have already received clear verbal confirmation of what was already clear.
Carl Malone
Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Given the lack of real evidence, not a single major mainstream media outlet in the United States has yet covered the entire situation. This may be true, but fans on the Internet did not hold back at all. Fans couldn’t help but compare the current incident to what happened to Karl Malone, one of the greatest power forwards in the history of the game.
In 1998, Karl was sued, including Gloria Bell, who claimed that when she was 13 she became pregnant by Malone and gave birth to a daughter, Demetrissa. At the time, the basketball player was in college and was 20 years old.
Legal proceedings began, Karl tried with all his might to get rid of this story, for a long time he refused to undergo a paternity test, but when he had no choice, he accepted paternity and the payment of alimony.
Although the scope of what Giddy did is nothing like what Malone did back then, fans are generating memes.
“Imagine a school graduation where both Malone and Giddy will come,” joked users of the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“You finally get it together, you want to confess your love to a girl at school, you do it for the first time and then it turns out that Josh Giddy has already taken her,” shocked fans on social networks imagine fictitious situations.
One can only guess how this situation affected the entire team mentally. The only thing that could be seen was that Chet Holmgren deleted a post from his social network, where he stated that he had an incredible understanding with Giddy on the court.
Should the NBA punish Giddy?
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What sanctions should the NBA apply to Josh Giddy if he is not proven guilty?
What threatens Giddy anyway? The matter took place in the state of California, where the following laws regarding sexual activity with minors apply.
The age of consent in California is 18 years old. This means that an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person under the age of 18 may face criminal charges.
Violation of this law is usually classified as statutory rape. Statutory rape in California is considered a violation of Section 261.5 of the State Penal Code and can be classified as a low- or high-severity crime, depending on the circumstances.
Josh Giddy
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
If convicted of low-level statutory rape, the maximum penalty can be up to one year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. If convicted of high-level statutory rape, the maximum penalty can be up to four years in prison. state prison.
It is important to note that California also has “age difference” laws that may apply in some cases when both parties are minors or when the difference in their ages is small.
There is no guarantee that during the investigation there will be enough evidence to convict Giddy. But you can’t ignore what kind of punishment Josh could receive from the NBA, among other things.
However, we must not forget that in this case nothing has really been proven. Is this the same girl, how old was she, did Giddy know, what happened to her with the basketball player, etc.?
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