Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP. For some, fairly or unfairly, he’s more often known as the league’s predominant foul merchant. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr thinks Gilgeous-Alexander’s unofficial reputation as a foul-baiter is unfair.
The Thunder beat the Warriors 104-97 on Saturday night. Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 27 points, and he also led the way with 15 free throw attempts. He made 14 of them.
“He's incredibly clever,” Kerr told reporters after the game, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “He knows exactly how to draw contact. It's all within the rules. I don't have a problem with Shai. I have a problem with the rules.”
Kerr added, “We hardly allow the defense to do anything guarding the ball, so if you allow the offensive player to push off with the off-arm to create space, it makes it really tough defensively. You can’t put your arm in. If you put your arm in, everybody around the league will do what Shai does, and James Harden does. They’ll hook your arm and [flop], and it’s all part of the rules. So, more power to all the individual players. But, as a league, we need to adapt and adjust. The players, year after year, just take advantage of the rules. They’re smart, and they know what they’re doing.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander is increasingly most associated with foul-baiting, the hard numbers justify the reputation. In each of the last two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander came in second in average free throws attempted. In the 2024-25 regular season, his 8.8 average free throws attempted were second to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 10.6. So far this season, SGA’s 9.3 are second to Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic’s 10.3.
People can hate on Gilgeous-Alexander’s game all they want, but it’s working for him. Gilgeous-Alexander is the odds-on favorite to become back-to-back NBA MVP (via DraftKings). The 27-year-old is averaging 31.6 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals across 53 games.
By defeating the Warriors, the Thunder became the first team to hit 50 wins in the NBA this year. Oklahoma City (50-15) holds the best record in the league and, entering Sunday’s action, maintains a three-game lead over 46-17 San Antonio for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. With SGA leading the way, the Thunder are in position to become the NBA’s first back-to-back champion since the Warriors did it in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
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