The 200-cm tall Australian point guard was taken at pick No.6 in Friday's (AEST) NBA draft.
Giddey’s selection makes him the fifth Australian taken in the draft lottery after Luc Longley (7th in 1991), Andrew Bogut (1st in 2005), Dante Exum (6th in 2014) and Ben Simmons (1st in 2016).
The NBL Rookie of the Year impressed scouts after an average of 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games for the Adelaide 36ers, as he also became the youngest Australian to register a triple-double in the league.
The 18-year-old is the son of former Melbourne Tigers star Warwick GIddey, while his mother Kim also played professional basketball as part of the Melbourne Tigers WNBL side.
Giddey’s stocks rose after an impressive season with the 36ers which saw him elevate to the starting line-up before growing with consistency on both ends of the floor to help Adelaide to wins as a rookie.
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft with the free-scoring guard taken by the Detroit Pistons.
Houston selected Jalen Green second, while the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Evan Mobley third.
The draft is being held later than its traditional late-June slot for the second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that interrupted the 2019-20 season.
