The Chicago Bulls have been one of the surprise teams of the early season, currently sitting in the upper half of the Eastern Conference leaderboard at this early juncture of the campaign. While Chicago has lost three straight (all against likely playoff teams), the Bulls have still performed above expectations, thanks in large part to the play of Josh Giddey.
Giddey has shown off an improved three-point shot to go along with the continued evolution of his playmaking abilities to look like an All-Star candidate for the Bulls, and recently, the hosts on FanDuel's “Run It Back” show were discussing what a Giddey All-Star bid may look like.
“Like a guy like Josh Giddey this year. He’s probably going to get in. More likely now because of this format with being selected for the World Team than he would’ve last year as just a top 24 player. Not to discredit the start of the season he’s had but kids aren’t going to All-Star Weekend to watch Josh Giddey play basketball,” said Chandler Parsons.
Co-host Michelle Beadle then chimed in with a tasteless joke.
“I bet one is. I bet one kid is. It’s in LA. That’s the closest stop to Australia, I guarantee one kid is there for Giddey, facts,” said Beadle.
Beadle is clearly referencing the off-court scandal surrounding Giddey from two years ago, in which an anonymous social media user started a rumor that the then-Thunder guard had been in a relationship with an underage girl.
The police looked into the matter and closed their investigation without Giddey ever being charged for a crime, and the NBA also similarly opened and closed an investigation with nothing to back the claim.
The fact that Beadle, a once-distinguished journalist, would stoop that low as to bring up disproven allegations on air is quite shocking, and may speak to a potential viewership issue on her program, necessitating an effort to stir up controversy.
In any case, the Bulls will next take the floor on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.
