NBA star Josh Giddey declares Australia can win gold with Ben Simmons and reveals his AFL dilemma

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey is rapidly becoming a household name in his home country of Australia, but the NBA star has revealed he was nearly lost to the sport because he was better at Aussie Rules as a youngster.

Since being picked by OKC at No.6 in the 2021 NBA draft, the former Adelaide 36ers star from the Australian NBL has been improving by the second.

With his lethal passing ability, great vision and ability to nail a tough jump shot, he become a valuable asset for the rebuilding Thunder.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (pictured playing against the Denver Nuggets this month) was almost lost to basketball as a youngster

Giddey was a junior with the Melbourne Tigers before beginning his professional career with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL

He has been enjoying extended minutes and is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 assists this season and appears a certainty to be selected for the Australian Boomers in upcoming World Cup and Olympics campaigns.

But before Giddey announced himself to the world with the 36ers in the NBL, he was also a gun football player with the Yarraville Seddon Eagles in Melbourne’s inner west, where he played 121 games and won three junior premierships with 124 goals to his name.

Giddey won three premierships the with Yarraville Seddon Eagles footy club. The big Hawthorn fan got to meet ex-Hawks star Tom Mitchell

The Yarraville Seddon Eagles, including Giddey as a junior footy player, celebrate another premiership 

That put the rising star on the radar of many AFL clubs and he was forced into a tough choice. 

‘That was one of the hardest decisions because when I was probably 15, I loved football,’ Giddey said.

‘I played it all through my junior days when I was in primary school, high school.

‘When I was 15-16, I got an offer to go to the AIS [Australian Institute of Sport] for basketball, and I was right on the cusp. I didn’t know what to do because I was probably better at footy at the time than I was at basketball.

‘I obviously took the scholarship offer, but that was the point I had to stop playing footy.

‘I miss it; I miss it a lot. It’s great when I go back home to be able to go to AFL games and check it out again.’

While Giddey’s star is on the rise, troubled Australian point guard Ben Simmons’ career continues to lurch to worrying new lows.

The former No.1 draft pick and All-Star has returned for the Brooklyn Nets after a two-year layoff through mental, physical and contract issues, but has hardly set the world on fire for the battling Nets.

Ben Simmons has struggled badly on his return to the court for the Nets but Giddey has no doubt his fellow Aussie 

However, Giddey has backed Simmons to be a key player in the World Cup and Olympics campaigns – even though the two will likely be competing for the same spot in the starting five. 

‘Obviously he was dealing with some stuff with Philly and then [made] a fresh start in Brooklyn,’ Giddey said.

‘People forget that Ben’s an All-Star. He was, I mean he is one of the best players in the league. He’s obviously going to need time find his feet, he hasn’t played for a long time in the NBA.

‘I’m excited for what he can do and hopefully soon we can both be apart of the Boomers together and help Australia win a gold medal.’

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (left, clashing with LeBron James) is another Aussie NBA talent who’ll push hard for a spot with the Boomers

The fact that Simmons is no sure thing to even make the final Boomers squad for the World Cup and the Olympics shows how deep the Australian talent pool runs now.

With NBA young bloods like Dyson Daniels and Josh Green also pressing their claims along with seasoned veterans like Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, competition is going to be hot.

That can only bode well for Australia, Giddey reckons, with the young guard truly believing his country can finally challenge the might of the United States for gold medal glory.   

‘World Cup’s coming up next year and anything short of a gold medal we won’t be happy with,’ Giddey said.

Josh Green #8 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors on November 4, 2022 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas

‘There are going to be elite guys that get left off the team.

‘It [the depth] is probably at an all-time high.

‘I think the country’s finally at a point where we can confidently go into these tournaments with a gold medal on our mind. In previous years, it might have been the hope but how realistic it was I don’t know. It definitely was at the last Olympics and the last World Cup.

‘But as time has evolved, the chances of gold have become more and more realistic. I think this is the time where Australian basketball has been as good as it’s ever been. The talent level that we have is elite.

‘I’m really excited for the World Cup and more so the Olympics. I think that’s every player’s dream to win a gold medal there. I can’t wait for those tournaments.’