NBA Draft pick's bizarre family situation comes into spotlight

Duke center Kyle Filipowski was one of the biggest fallers in the NBA Draft this week until the Utah Jazz scooped him up early in the second round. As hoops fans wondered why the Blue Blood sophomore slipped, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony took to ESPN airwaves to explain that teams flagged Filipowski’s interesting family situation as they gathered intel on him this spring.

Leading into the second round of the draft on Thursday, Givony reported on Filipowski’s fall.

“NBA teams are talking about the fact that they had questions about his girlfriend being so much older than him, why was he estranged from his family because of this whole situation,” Givony said. “It’s a very, very odd situation. I personally don’t understand why it would cause him to drop like this into the second round.”

Givony, the top NBA Draft analyst at ESPN, added that teams did not feel Filipowski’s answers about the situation were “satisfactory.”

On a Thursday morning edition of The Lowe Post podcast with ESPN senior NBA writer Zach Lowe recorded before the draft broadcast, Givony strangely glossed over the situation to make the case for Filipowski as a talent.

“This is all nonsense,” Givony argued. “It’s hard to find a 7-footer like Kyle Filipowski who is this good.”

Sports reporters and team decision-makers often overlook personal questions about athletes to recruit talent . Filipowski’s situation would not be unique if not for the fact that his family took to social media to challenge Givony’s reporting and set the record straight.

Users who appeared to be Filipowski’s brother and mother alleged that Filipowski’s girlfriend was “grooming” the young athlete in messages Thursday morning on X. According to the family, the girlfriend is seven years older than Filipowski and began a romantic relationship with him when he was still in high school.

A user named Becky Filipowski wrote a post accusing the girlfriend of “Mormon grooming,” explaining that she pulled Filipowski into her faith and separated him from his family at a young age.

To make matters more complicated, Filipowski ultimately went to the Utah Jazz at No. 32 overall. The move plants him in the heartland of the LDS faith, which his mother alleges he was forced into.

All the extra baggage caused other NBA Draft reporters to plead for Givony to stop commenting on the situation.

The situation is still developing, and clearly Filipowski’s family is desperate to use all channels to get the word out. His mother and brother appear to be sincerely worried about his freedom, making basketball the least important aspect of the situation.

Utah will likely be asked about the situation following the draft, and NBA reporters will likely keep digging.

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