Josh Giddey walked straight into a tense moment late in Chicago’s 123-116 loss in Charlotte, and a courtside confrontation quickly turned into an ejection for a fan. With over a minute left and with the Bulls trailing, the video shows Giddey approaching a fan who allegedly called him ‘p**o.’
Officials and security moved in, and the fan was escorted out, and the incident became viral.
“You’re making jokes about me that you don’t know sh*t about.”
Josh Giddey to a fan who called him
A p*do:
“You’re making jokes you don’t know sh*t about.”
The fan got ejected 😭 pic.twitter.com/CtbRbNeoym
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) November 29, 2025
That line, captured on camera, summed up why the Australian guard walked down from the bench in the first place.
The episode comes with a backstory. In 2023, Giddey was the subject of scrutiny after he was alleged to have an inappropriate relationship with an underage person. The investigation closed with no charges, and Giddey has not been charged in relation to those claims.
This is not the first time someone has taken a shot at Giddey. Earlier this month, Michelle Beadle took a cheeky shot referencing the same story. Beadle later framed her line as a devil’s advocate joke, but the backlash was immediate.
A veteran of public scrutiny, Giddey has tried to keep his head down and let his game speak. On Saturday, he nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, a stat line that underlined how he has responded on the court.
Player fan confrontations are a delicate matter. Fans are known to rile players, and arenas have limits on what is acceptable behavior. At the same time, players face a choice about how to respond. The officials on site judged that the security removal of the fan was the appropriate action to calm the scene.
For Giddey, the bigger story remains his play. He is producing career-best numbers and leading a Bulls team to a possible playoff spot. This moment will not help shield him from noise, but it also will not change how he has performed on the floor. In the aftermath, the focus returns to basketball.
The Bulls will hope Giddey’s maturity and production continue to grow while arenas and broadcasters figure out how to reduce situations that force players into ugly public confrontations.
