WATCH TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite weekly on Thursday from 7 pm (AEST) via , or catch up via .
18-year-old Josh Giddey is having an incredible first season as a professional Basketballer.
On Monday he became the youngest ever Aussie to record a triple-double in an NBL match when the Adelaide 36ers took on the New Zealand Breakers.
That night, it was also revealed that scouts from NBA side the Toronto Raptors had flown to Australia and were waiting in quarantine in order to get a closer look at him.
For good measure, the 36ers star also set a record for most assists (171) by an Australian in their first season.
All signs point to Giddey being the latest Aussie to join the NBA when the draft is completed on July 29th.
One Aussie who is already there, Joe Ingles who plays for the Utah Jazz, is guiding Giddey from afar as he begins his journey in professional sport.
“Joe first reached out when I signed with Adelaide, just congratulations, all that kind of stuff and then as the season progressed, we've been talking a lot,” Giddey told Megan Hustwaite during the latest episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS.
“He just texts me, and he usually texts me after bad games which is what I like most because he kind of helps me through it.
“As an 18-year-old after a bad game I'm annoyed and sad and Joe is usually the guy I talk to because he kind of knows where I'm coming from because he was an 18 year old in this league, at one point and he's at where I want to get to.
“Joe's had a big impact on me this season, we talk pretty regularly so I'm looking forward to getting into Boomers camp with him.”
Giddey and Ingles are likely to team up for Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in July with both players indicating they’ll be there.
“There is no chance that I’m missing the Olympics,” Ingles told Shane Heal’s Basketball Show on Tuesday.
“I’d have a few beers on the plane heading over there (to Tokyo), and then obviously I’d get right into Boomers mode.
“It is what it is. When you get into that locker room and you see your Boomers jersey hanging up, there is no better feeling.”
Meanwhile, Giddey is just as committed to the idea of representing his country in Tokyo.
“The pinnacle of Australian basketball is representing your country and it’s something I’ve dreamt of for a long time,” Giddey told the Age.
Tokyo might even be the first time that the Ingles and Giddey meet in person, as their conversation so far has just been via text messages.
“No, I’ve never met him, it’s all been through social media,” Giddey confirmed.
And what does Ingles, who has played over 500 games in the NBA and scored over 4,600 points, tell young Giddey?
“He watches a lot of the NBL - he follows it heavily - so he usually watches our games and critiques it and kind of breaks it down for me what I could do, what I did well, what I didn't do well, and I just read it and embrace it and soak it all up,” Giddey explained.
“I put it into (practice) when we have training the next day or the next game, whatever it is and just think about what he said and work on that.”
Giddey discussed numerous topics with Hustwaite, including the following:
0:40 - parents played in the NBL and WNBL respectively so grew up around the game
1:15 - up until 15/16 was in the middle rung of players
1:52 - played all juniors for the Melbourne Tigers and had dad and Andrew Gaze coaching him
2:27 - impact Andrew Gaze - the coach - had
3:25 - the culmination of his basketball IQ
4:42 - was a massive fan of Melbourne United, as recently as last year
5:07 - less than 12 months on made his NBL debut against United
5:57 - initiation to the NBL was tough at first
6:48 - playing a new role following the departure of Donald Sloan - was a ‘’blessing in disguise’’
7:50 - the quality of the league and training with and against teammates every day has developed his game
10:02 - tough decision to stay in Australia rather than go to the US for college
11:00 - working on his shooting and three
12:05 - the NBA dream
13:00 - seeing fellow Aussie Shyla Heal drafted to the WNBA earlier this month
13:37 - representing the Australian Boomers for the first time
14:20 - the Olympic dream
15:35 - relationship with Joe Ingles
17:40 - 36ers push for finals
SBS will again broadcast multiple regular-season NBA games per week in HD on SBS VICELAND and streamed live via SBS On Demand. Plus, every game of the upcoming 2020-21 NBL season will be LIVE, FREE and in HD via SBS On Demand, with select games also live on SBS VICELAND.
