Commissioner Adam Silver: NBA can’t suspend Thunder’s Josh Giddey on ‘allegation alone’

NBA commissioner Adam Silver opened up about why the league has allowed Oklahoma City Thunder star Josh Giddey to continue playing despite being accused of having an improper relationship with a minor.

“I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Friday.

Last month, the league opened an investigation into the 21-year-old Giddey after viral photos posted on social media by an anonymous user connected the 21-year-old Australian native with an alleged underage female. The Newport Beach (Calif.) Police Department opened an investigation into the allegations shortly after.

In late November, social media posts showed a man who appears to be Giddey with a female in photos and video, but it is unclear when or where they were taken. The anonymous social media users who originally posted the images deleted them, but not before they were saved by others.