Josh Giddey can't be suspended on 'allegation alone', NBA commissioner Adam Silver says amid probe into claims of an inappropriate relationship between the Thunder star and a minor

Josh Giddey continues to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder because he can't be suspended over an 'allegation alone,' NBA commissioner Adam Silver said amid a criminal probe into claims the Australian basketball star had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. 

Giddey, 21, is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a teenager from California after photos and videos surfaced on social media last month.

'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'. 

'In this case, so we have an allegation and then you have a police investigation and then a parallel league investigation. I also add that, where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat. That impacts how the players and players association can work with us because of course the player needs to protect his rights. 

'I'm not going to say never ever, but I think this is the path we've consistently followed in the past.' 

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