Josh Giddey’s NBA journey has been something however clean. Simply two years in the past, the 6-foot-8 guard was battling via the worst season of his younger profession, weighed down by a high-profile controversy that threatened each his repute and his monetary future. His identify was linked to an NBA and police investigation, and his $40 million Weet-Bix endorsement deal looked like it might vanish overnight. Quick ahead to September 2025, and the narrative has flipped solely. At 22 years outdated, Giddey has emerged because the face of the Chicago Bulls and has simply signed a four-year, $100 million totally assured contract to cement his position because the franchise’s cornerstone.
The deal represents extra than simply monetary safety. It marks the completion of a dramatic turnaround, taking Giddey from the brink of a profession derailment to one of many brightest younger stars within the NBA.
Early Profession and Rising Star
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Josh Giddey grew up surrounded by basketball. His father, Warrick, performed professionally in Australia’s NBL, whereas his mom, Kim, was additionally a standout participant. Josh’s early expertise was evident, and by 2021, he had change into the primary Australian to take part within the NBA World Academy in Canberra, incomes recognition as one of many high worldwide prospects.
The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder chosen him sixth total within the 2021 NBA Draft, and he rapidly started to justify the decide. Identified for his measurement, court docket imaginative and prescient, and skill to affect a number of sides of the sport, Giddey grew to become the youngest participant in NBA historical past to report a triple-double when he posted 17 factors, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks on January 2, 2022, at simply 19 years and 84 days outdated.
Over his first two seasons in Oklahoma Metropolis, he constructed a repute as a flexible playmaker and a key associate alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander within the Thunder’s rebuild.
Controversy and Profession Setback
In late 2023, Giddey’s profession hit a severe snag. Social media posts surfaced suggesting he had been concerned in a relationship with a minor. The Newport Seashore Police Division in California and the NBA each launched investigations into the matter.
The allegations dated again to 2021, throughout his rookie 12 months, when Giddey was 19 and the woman was reportedly 15. In keeping with reporting on the time, Giddey believed she was his age, and the temporary relationship ended after a one-night encounter. The alleged sufferer and her household declined to cooperate with investigators, which in the end led to the matter being dropped.
Nonetheless, the harm to Giddey’s public picture was actual. His $40 million endorsement with Weet-Bix appeared in danger when the model scrubbed promotional materials that includes him from its social channels. On the court docket, his play declined considerably, with drops throughout practically each statistical class. The mixture of authorized uncertainty, detrimental press, and poor efficiency made 2023 the low level of his profession.
(Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)
Contemporary Begin in Chicago
In the summertime of 2024, the Thunder traded Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in trade for defensive specialist Alex Caruso. For Giddey, the transfer turned out to be career-defining.
In his first 12 months in Chicago, Giddey delivered his greatest statistical season but. He averaged 14.6 factors, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per recreation whereas capturing a career-high 37.8% from three. His affect grew even higher after the Bulls traded All-Star guard Zach LaVine on the deadline.
Freed to take the reins as a main ball-handler, Giddey thrived. After the All-Star break, he averaged 21.2 factors, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists on 50% capturing, together with 46% from deep. He recorded seven triple-doubles, second-most in a single season in Bulls historical past, trailing solely Michael Jordan’s 15 in 1988–89.
On March 22, 2025, he put up one of the crucial distinctive stat strains in NBA historical past in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers: 15 factors, 15 assists, 10 rebounds, and eight steals — one thing no participant had ever achieved since steals grew to become an official stat in 1973. Even whereas taking part in via a muscle tear in his capturing hand late within the season, he powered the Bulls to a 15–5 end and a play-in berth.
The $100 Million Payday
This week, 2025, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Josh Giddey had agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract to stay with the Bulls. The deal is totally assured with no participant or workforce choices, underscoring the franchise’s confidence in him as their long-term chief at level guard.
For Giddey, the contract shouldn’t be solely a monetary milestone but in addition a symbolic one. It marks the official conclusion of a two-year stretch that might have ended his NBA profession earlier than it really started. As a substitute, he has emerged stronger, extra productive, and extra precious than ever.
