Josh Giddey on fame, the NBA, life off the court and why ‘everything you do is magnified'

News.com.au

10 hours ago

Josh Giddey has addressed his future in the NBA, as speculation grows he is about to sign a new multimillion-dollar mega deal with the Chicago Bulls.
Speaking to Stellar prior to a reported offer, the 22-year-old indicated he wanted to stay with the Bulls after a breakout season.
'I'd love to stay in Chicago. I would love for it to work out that way,' Giddey told Stellar.
'But, it's a business and I understand how the NBA works. It will happen hopefully soon.
'It's hard to say because a lot of it is not on me – a lot of it is between my agent and the Bulls front office.'
The Australian guard was reported to have been offered a 'qualifying' $A45.4 million per year ($US30 million) multi-year deal by the team late last week, as he enters restricted free agency, sources told ESPN.
As he threw an NFL football around a backyard in Beverly Hills, Melbourne-born Giddey mused to about the reality of being a restricted free agent.
'If you're 'unrestricted', you can pick where you want to go. 'Restricted' kind of ties you to that team unless they don't match an offer that another team gives you,' Giddey explained to Stellar.
It came as Giddey reflected on his career with the Chicago Bulls – after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder last year – and the real price of fame.
'I would love to be unknown sometimes,' Giddey told Stellar.
'I am not complaining; there are definitely good things to come with it.
'But everything you do is magnified and you always have a spotlight on you following you around.
'I guess it comes with being an NBA player – there are definitely times where I'd like to be a regular guy and blend in.
'There are days where I'd love to be able to walk around with my friends and nobody know who I was – and do normal things that I used to do when I was just a kid.'
During Stellar's interview, Giddey was in off-season mode, 'sitting in the backyard, with my trainer, laying in the sun, throwing the football around'.
He continued: 'As soon as you go out into the public eye, things become a little different'.
'It becomes a little harder to do normal things. I'm not going to sit here and complain.
'But at times, you just wish nobody knew who you were and you could operate a normal life, like everybody else.'
Part of embracing that 'real life' outside of his huge NBA fame is Giddey's close friendship with childhood BFF and fellow Melbourne-born NBA star, Dyson Daniels.
The pair are set to unveil their joint venture, CourtSide – a state-of-the-art basketball facility in Melbourne designed for children playing at a grassroots level to professional athletes.
Daniels and Giddey – who are both 22 – have been friends for more than a decade; they met while playing junior basketball.
In their recent joint shoot with Stellar, the pair shared playful banter on set, with Giddey called Daniels his 'little brother'.
Of their friendship, Daniels – who was named the NBA's Most Improved Player last season for his elite defence – said: 'We kind of went through every phase of life together. We've grown up together.'