WATCH TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite weekly on Thursday from 7pm (AEST) via , or catch up via .
Goorjian, who was speaking to Megan Hustwaite during the latest episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS, was full of praise for the 18-year-old, who he’ll most certainly coach when he leads the Boomers at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“I'm so excited… He’s really good, in a way that is different to Andrew (Gaze), different than Shane Heal, different than the ones prior, he's more a Magic Johnson,” Goorjian said.
“A guy on the floor in that position, that is big for his position, and makes everyone around him better."
Giddey, a 202cm-tall point guard, is being tipped by NBA Draft experts to go in the top 10 when the event takes place in July.
Magic Johnson is widely considered as one of the top ten basketball players of all time, having won five NBA Championships, three NBA finals MVPs and three regular-season MVP awards.
Giddey will almost certainly join forces with Australia’s NBA-based players in Tokyo, and will put the national team in good stead for years to come.
“Kids like Giddey, coming in and being around Patty Mills, Joe Ingles - that's going to save this national program six, seven, eight years in the future because Gaze, (Mark) Bradtke, all those guys retired at the same time.”
Goorjian was in charge of the Boomers from 2001 until 2008 and witnessed firsthand that difficult transition.
This year, the Boomers are hoping to win a medal in Tokyo and will be able to call on the likes of Giddey as well as NBA regulars like Ben Simmons, Mills, Ingles and Aron Baynes.
Giddey has been on fire lately, recording three triple-doubles in four games prior to the 36ers' loss to Goorjian’s Illawarra Hawks on Tuesday night.
Giddey will next be in action on Sunday when the 36ers take on the Sydney Kings, which you can watch LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
Goorjian is confident Giddey will go on to have a career at the level of these players.
“He's going to be, at some point, one of the greats.”
The 67-year-old's interview is part of an SBS series - TAB Courtside 1v1, which gives fans a chance to get to know more about the unique personalities from the NBA, WNBA, NBL and WNBL, which help shape basketball in Australia.
Hustwaite, who has been covering all levels of Australian basketball for the past 13 years as a reporter, commentator and journalist, will helm the weekly show – every Thursday at 7pm (AEST) via - where she interviews stars of the past, present and future.
SBS will again broadcast multiple regular-season NBA games per week in HD on SBS VICELAND and streamed live via SBS On Demand. Plus, every game of the upcoming 2020-21 NBL season will be LIVE, FREE and in HD via SBS On Demand, with select games also live on SBS VICELAND.
