Chicago’s basketball landscape is buzzing as Josh Giddey, the young Australian point guard, injects new life into the Bulls, and three-time NBA champion Luc Longley can’t help but feel a surreal connection. Longley, who won three titles with Chicago alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the 1990s, sees shades of the past in Giddey’s emergence, calling it a “weird deja vu” moment.
The 22-year-old Giddey has quickly become one of the Bulls’ most compelling stories this season. Already the first Chicago player to record back-to-back triple-doubles since Jordan, Giddey is averaging nearly 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, leading the team to an 8–7 record and playoff contention. While Longley admits he doesn’t watch every game and hasn’t spoken much with Giddey since the youngster moved to Illinois, he senses a unique connection — partly through Giddey’s father, Warwick “Wazza” Giddey, whom Longley played alongside in junior representative basketball in the late 1980s.
Longley draws parallels not in style, but in character. He praises Giddey’s toughness, work ethic, and quiet leadership, qualities he says will resonate with the “blue collar” Chicago fanbase. “He’s tough as nails, he’s not really a chest pounder, but he lets his actions do the talking,” Longley notes. This is the same quality that Longley believes was central to the Bulls’ dominance in the 1990s, a trait that Chicago has sorely missed in its lean years.
Despite the nostalgic parallels, Longley is careful not to overstate the comparison between Giddey and Michael Jordan. “Giddey and Jordan are so different, in background and playing style, that any comparison is a waste of time,” he says. Instead, he focuses on Giddey’s evolution as a facilitator and scorer. The young point guard has expanded his offensive game, attacking the rim with ferocity while improving his three-point shooting — a combination that has allowed him to orchestrate Chicago’s offense with increasing efficiency.
Giddey’s season has not been without its bumps. The Bulls endured a five-game losing streak early on, and a viral defensive lapse against De’Andre Hunter led to an ankle injury that sidelined the Australian. Even in losses, however, he has demonstrated the capacity to take over games, exemplified by his near triple-double performance during a 36-point defeat to the Miami Heat in the NBA Cup. Coach Billy Donovan has shown unwavering confidence, relying on Giddey to manage late-game possessions and create scoring opportunities for teammates like Nikola Vučević, who converted the game-winner on multiple occasions.
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For Longley, watching Giddey succeed evokes both pride and nostalgia. “I believe in his talent. I believe in his intensity and I think his basketball intentions are pure,” he says. “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.”
As the Bulls continue their push toward the playoffs, Josh Giddey stands at the center of Chicago’s resurgence. For fans, the story of a young Australian leading the team back to prominence offers hope, excitement, and perhaps the beginning of a new chapter in the city’s storied basketball history — one that even Luc Longley finds impossible to ignore.
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