Luc Longley is excited that Giddey is doing well with the Bulls: "I really think he's the real thing"

Josh Giddey has been doing well with the Chicago Bulls. Among those excited and rooting for him is fellow Australian and former Bulls player Luc Longley. Now in his second season playing in the Windy City, the 23-year-old do-it-all guard has further picked his game up and brought his team along with it.

Speaking to The Guardian in an interview, Longley, part of the Bulls team which won three straight NBA titles from 1996 to 1998 while playing with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, shared that it feels surreal to see Giddey in the same Red, White and Black colors of Chicago, but sees only good things emanating from it.

“It’s a little bit of a weird deja vu thing, I guess, seeing him in those uniforms, in that arena, doing what he does,” Longley said.

“I believe in his talent. I believe in his intensity, and I think his basketball intentions are pure. I really think he’s the real thing, and I can’t wait to sit in the stands and watch him do it. That would really join the dots for me,” the former 7’2” center added.

Not surprised

That Giddey is doing well in his NBA career is not at all surprising to Longley, since he saw the young guard develop his skills, as he is friends with the 2021 sixth overall rookie pick’s father, Warwick Giddey, who was his teammate on the national team back in the 1980s.

Longley said that Giddey reminds him of his old man, who was all about being a team player and winning, which Luc believes fits well with the team that the Bulls are building right now.

“He’s tough as nails, he’s not really a chest pounder, but he lets his actions do the talking,” the former University of New Mexico player said.

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Chicago Josh

Giddey found his way to Chicago last season from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Alex Caruso. He immediately made his impact, posting numbers of 14.6 points and career-highs of 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 37.8% shooting clip from three in the 70 games he played in his first year with the Bulls. The Aussie’s stellar showing helped the team position itself for a spirited push for a playoff spot, making it to the play-in phase before losing to the Miami Heat.

In the Bulls’ ongoing campaign, Giddey has been more outstanding, averaging a near-triple double of 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists while leading his team to a 9-7 record to date. Against the Washington Wizards in their last game on Saturday, Josh had a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the Bulls won, 121-120.

His latest triple-double took his career record to 22, now 24th in the all-time list, moving past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Kyle Lowry, Michael Ray Richardson and Chris Webber, who all had 21.  It was also his 11th TD as a member of the Bulls, third in franchise history, behind only Jordan (28) and Pippen (15).

With the way Giddey has been handling his affairs as a Bull, the team has seemingly found a huge piece of the puzzle in what they are trying to build in the young point guard. He may not be the second coming of MJ in Chicago, but Josh is nonetheless good enough to help the team return to steady competitiveness.

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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.