Source : ABC NEWS
It’s a regular weeknight in Frankston.
You rock up to the local basketball courts for a division-three social game a bit after 9pm, hoping to have a bit of fun.
During the warm-up before tip-off, you look over at the opposition and what do you see?
Rising Australian NBA star Josh Giddey wearing the singlet of your opposition.
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That was the scenario Jesse Lans and his Benny’s Boys teammates found themselves in at Frankston Basketball Stadium on Monday evening.
Melbourne-born Giddey — who plays for the Chicago Bulls — suited up for the Vales, much to the astonishment of Lans and others who were present.
The footage of the game has gone viral, and Lans is still in shock.
“We just started warming up and one of our guys was like, ‘Look who’s in the stands’,” Lans told ABC Melbourne on Tuesday.
“We were like, ‘Oh no, this game’s not going to go our way’.”
Giddey joined the Chicago Bulls last year. (Getty Images: Justin Casterline)
Giddey is accustomed to playing at venues such as Chicago’s United Center, which seats more than 20,000 spectators.
It’s a far cry from Frankston, a suburb more than 40 kilometres south-east of the Melbourne CBD.
“There was definitely a crowd there growing,” said Lans, who described the evening as an “unreal experience”.
“I even heard that one of the games kind of got cancelled and they all made their way over.”
Lans admitted he was nervous about potentially injuring Giddey, who is in his off-season with the Bulls.
“I was a little bit wary about that … you kind of forgot about it once we all got going,” he said.
Giddey (right) made his NBA debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021. (Getty Images: Michael Reaves)
Lans did not back his chances against Giddey, who averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in the 2024/25 NBA season.
But the social basketballer finished the game with a 41-point haul.
“To be honest, [I] stood absolutely no chance,” Lans said.
“He was much taller than you expect of someone at the point guard position. It was just another level to it.”
After the game, Giddey — who joined the Bulls after being traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder last year — posed for photographs with rival Benny’s Boys players, as well referees and fans.
And for the record, Benny’s Boys came away with a 110-84 victory over Giddey and the Vales.
