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Josh Giddey Had Classy Answer When Asked About Thunder's Championship Without Him

The former Thunder star opened up about OKC's recent title.

Tom Dierberger

Josh Giddey was traded from the Thunder to the Bulls in June 2024.
Josh Giddey was traded from the Thunder to the Bulls in June 2024. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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For three full seasons, Josh Giddey was a starter for an up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder team. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls last summer and watched from his couch as blue and yellow confetti fell from the Paycom Center ceiling to celebrate the Thunder's 2025 championship last month.

Although he wasn't a part of it, Giddey doesn't hold any bitter feelings towards his old team. In fact, he was rooting for them throughout the playoffs.

"The next team I watched the most [after the Bulls] is OKC. I love them," Giddey recently said on the Ball Magnets podcast. "I'm so close with a lot of the guys there. I genuinely root for those guys and want them to win the championship. I'm just so close with so many people there. ... If the Bulls don't win it, I hope the Thunder win it because I'm close with the guys."

Giddey, the No. 6 pick by Oklahoma City in the 2021 NBA draft, helped the Thunder make the leap from 24 wins in his rookie season to 40 victories in 2022-23 to 57 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in 2023-24. But when Oklahoma City fell short in the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets, Giddey was used as a trade chip in the offseason.

In June 2024, the Thunder traded Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for two-time All-Defensive veteran guard Alex Caruso. Caruso went on to be a key piece and reshaped the Thunder's outlook on defense. Oklahoma City posted the best defensive rating during the regular season (106.6) by a wide margin.

Giddey, meanwhile, averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for Chicago, which finished ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 39-43 record.

Giddey is a restricted free agent this offseason and is reportedly eyeing a contract worth about $30 million per year.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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