Silver was asked about the investigation in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews on Saturday (AEDT).
“I think you look back,I can’t think of many circumstances where we’ve[the NBA] suspended a player based on an allegation alone,” Silver said.
“And in this case,we have an allegation,and then you have a police investigation and a parallel league investigation. I would also add that where there’s a criminal investigation,we[the NBA] take a back seat.
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“And so you have an allegation,you have an ongoing criminal investigation,that impacts how the Players’ Association can work with us because,of course,the player needs to protect his rights,so I’m not going to say ‘never,ever’.
“But I think this is the path we have consistently followed in the past. There’s an ongoing criminal investigation,Newport Police opened up that investigation,notified us,we then take a back seat. And that’s where things currently stand.”
Giddey has been jeered by opposition fans while continuing to take to the court for Oklahoma City Thunder since the claims emerged,with some questioning why he has been allowed to keep playing.