Josh Giddey has admitted that the brutal reality of missing out on an Olympic Games medal has hit him like a truck.
Giddey was unable to guide the Boomers to the semi-finals of the men’s basketball competition in Paris, with Australia falling to an overtime defeat by Serbia.
The manner of their defeat will hurt even more, having enjoyed a 24-point lead before Nikola Jokic hauled the Serbs back into the contest.
And speaking to Nine after the buzzer, Giddey could not hold back his tears after falling in Paris.
‘We put ourselves in a great position to win that game. And we come up short like that in overtime. So it’s heartbreaking,’ Giddey said.
‘And it kills me that I have to wait four more years for another chance at this. But, man, I’m so proud of this group. I love this team. And you know, our coaches, our fans, deserved a lot better than this.
‘I don’t really know how to sum it up now. It’s so raw and soon after the game. But you know, I just I love this team. And I believed we had the group to go all the way.
‘We’ve got to wait another four years and this feeling sucks and it’s going to hurt but you know, it’s going to build us. And we’ll be back in LA (2028 Olympics).’
Josh Giddey was overcome with emotion following Australia’s defeat in Paris
The Boomers were unable to hold on to a 24-point lead in their quarter final vs Serbia
Patty Mills, in his final appearance for the Boomers, sent the game to overtime with a dramatic late score, but he was typically classy in giving his reflections of the game.
‘The Olympic Games, this is where it brings the best out of people, teams, countries. This is why you play for these moments,’ Mills told Nine.
‘We threw everything at them and it just wasn’t our day. Full credit to Serbia. They’re one hell of a team. Great individuals on there, great competitors. Their toughness, they played a hell of a game and they grinded it out and got over the hump in the end.
‘Man, we’ve we’ve had a blast. This journey’s been fun. We’ve stuck together,’ he said.
Giddey admitted that the brutal reality of Olympics failure has already hit him
‘We’ve stayed connected as a group. We talked about stacking days and getting better as a group to move forward. This is the Olympic Games. The moments you want to be in. And it was fun.’
Giddey said he felt a responsibility to give Mills the send off he deserved.
‘He deserved better,’ Giddey said. ‘It was up to us to help him get that gold medal. Whether it’s his last or not, he’s poured so much into this program….you took about FIBA Patty, one of the greatest to ever do it in these tournaments.’
