Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 24: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles against Nickeil Alexander-Walker #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 24, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
As things stand, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the best basketball player in the world right now. He certainly is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and, on account of receiving that award earlier this month, he is also about to become basketball’s richest.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the 30 points-per-game scorer at the head of a Thunder snake that posted the NBA’s best record on account of their NBA-best defence. Furthermore, he gets his points largely in defiance of modern orthodox principles. In an era of pace-and-space basketball, Gilgeous-Alexander is neither particularly quick nor a high-volume three-point shooter. Instead, he is endlessly crafty, able to get to where he wants on the floor with a tight handle and excellent body control, keeping defenders at bay and tempting them to reach in while also very much aware of how to exaggerate any slight contact.
This in turn results in a high volume of fouls drawn, and, as a result, a lot of free throw attempts for Shai. He averaged 8.8 free throw attempts per game in the regular season – second in the league only to the 10.6 a night recorded by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks – and that number has risen to 9.5 per game in the playoffs so far. Gilgeous-Alexander often plays for the whistle, often gets it, and all too often, those whistles are not good.
You Boos, You Lose
Some fans do not like how Gilgeous-Alexander goes about his business. But Shai would like them to know that he does not care. And not only does he not care; he has “never cared”.
Gilgeous Alexander’s comments came in the aftermath of the Thunder’s 128-126 victory in Game Four of their 2025 NBA Western Conference Finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a victory which puts them 3-1 up in the series and a mere one game away from their first NBA Finals in 13 years. 12 of his 30 points in that game came via the free throw line, and the crowd were quick to get on Gilgeous-Alexander’s back about it, a reputation not helped by ESPN’s Doris Burke on commentary calling Shai a “free throw merchant”.
To anyone who views that as a bad thing, Burke’s comments were fuel to the fire. But when asked about in the post-game media interviews, Gilgeous-Alexander was rightly defiant.
I don’t care. I never cared. I’ve shot more free throws in a season than I did this season. I think because we’re on the top of everyone’s radar it’s a little more noticeable and now people care about it. Kind of see it as a compliment.
Same Rules For Gilgeous-Alexander
Complimentary in intent or not, any comment to the effect of Burke’s does serve as an endorsement of Gilgeous-Alexander’s game.
If Gilgeous-Alexander gets more whistles than other players, it is to be borne in mind that he is going up against the same defensive players that everyone else does, while being adjudicated by the same referees adhering to the same rulebook. If Shai is able to get more out of those same environs, it surely follows that he is just better at it.
Opinions about the aesthetics of any player’s game are subjective, and are also not conducive to winning basketball. In the grand scheme of things, aesthetics do not matter. In the case of Shai, those criticisms can be valid – after all, free throws do slow down games significantly, usually to the detriment of the viewing experience. But Gilgeous-Alexander’s concerns are not with the viewing experience.
Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a free throw merchant? Yes. Is that a bad thing? For the viewer, maybe; for his team, absolutely not. Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the best player on the best team the world has going for it right now? Absolutely yes. And he does not care for how it looks.