JOsh Giddy couldn't help but smile. A reporter had just told the usually calm half-court conductor that he was the first Chicago Bull to record back-to-back triple-doubles since Michael Jordan more than 30 years ago.
The Aussie's starring role in a 24-point comeback against Philadelphia this week, when he scored double figures in points, rebounds and assists – hence the 'triple' double – ended with an exclamation point.
A generous left-handed pass into teammate Nikola Vucevic's winning basket meant Giddy took the lead in both the game's scoring and its viral moment. “Yeah,” the 23-year-old responded to the reporter, shaking his head as his signature mop of hair moved in one piece.
Australian audiences were thrilled to see Luc Longley during the 2020 documentary The Last Dance, which helped a new generation discover the achievements of Jordan's Bulls, even if producers largely overlooked the center's contribution as a vital member of that team. (Longley's version of events was subsequently covered by ABC.)
There were Australian NBA successes since Patty Mills, Andrew Bogut and Joe Ingles, who have either won championships or gained respect in one of the most hyper-competitive sports arenas in the world. Matthew Dellavedova's role in Cleveland's 2016 title alongside LeBron James was as legendary as it was unlikely.
However, Longley's place in basketball history playing alongside Jordan has always been a badge of honor for Australian basketball players. Now a grinning Giddy was next to Jordan in the same sentence. “No, that’s cool,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie about it and say it’s not cool.”
Scottie Pippen called Jordan selfish, but Giddy is not one to dwell on himself for long. “All the individual things are a by-product of winning and being a fun team to play with,” the Australian told a reporter.
Giddy should know. He broke into the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder and became the youngest player to record a triple-double entering 2022, less than three months after turning 19 in his rookie season. But after Giddy started every game and played 31 minutes per game in his second season, the Oklahoma City coaching staff saw success in a different direction.
The following season, his minutes dropped to 25 per game and then to 18 in the playoffs as the Thunder surrounded top guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with shooters and athletic guards. Unfortunately for the Australian, at this stage he has not proven that he is either one or the other.
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Giddy has always been big for a guard, his size helping him compete physically at the line and for rebounds. His play, control of tempo and passing have always been elite. But his inconsistent shooting – especially off the dribble – reluctance to use his frame to attack the rim and attempts to contain fast opponents on the perimeter were always seen as potentially critical limitations.
There are only 30 teams in the NBA, which is why so few players can become top point guards. But only half of that number become leading quarterbacks with winning records. The Bulls' mediocrity last season after they traded beloved Alex Caruso for Giddy threatened to force the Australian to start his career at the top of the NBA pine if he couldn't be a useful starter as a playoff contender.
Giddy's form did improve in the second half of the season, but his lengthy contract extension in the offseason showed that Bulls general manager Arturas Karnišovas – like much of Chicago's demanding fanbase – still isn't convinced of his value.
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Seven games into the new season, Giddy's opinion is beginning to change. Many Bulls followers admitted they were wrong about him on social media this week. Others went further. “Michael Josh Giddy Jordan. It's over, we've won three chips in a row,” one said on Instagram under a video of the game winner, in a comment liked nearly 2,000 times.
The Australian is averaging almost a triple-double with 23 points. His 3-point shooting is above league average and he's attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line twice as often as last season.
But most importantly, he helps his team win. The Bulls are off to their best start to a season since Jordan peaked in 1996 and are in first place in the Eastern Conference, one of only two teams – along with Giddy's old friends the Thunder – with a single loss.
Jordan and Giddy have little in common, other than the red and black jersey they both wore and that little-known statistical achievement that was celebrated this week. To be clear, Giddy can best be described – as a hulking, team-oriented, pass-first point guard and a guy from the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia – as the anti-Jordan.
Put the man known as Mike on any team and he would have been a star, such were his physical and mental attributes. Jordan is known as the most competitive athlete in history, brash and combative, able to back him up in any competition.
Giddy may never be able to dunk from the free throw line or change the fortunes of the sporting goods manufacturer, but for Chicago fans who have been waiting 26 years for a seventh NBA title, he may be able to do something just as important: help the Bulls succeed.
The Australian knows he needs the faith of those around him after his experience in Oklahoma City. “I’m grateful that I have teammates and coaches who allow me to succeed,” he said.
