'I Would Hate Me Too,' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Responds to Foul-Baiting Criticism from NBA Fans

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has no qualms about NBA fans who criticize him for trying to foul-bait during games.

Speaking to ESPN's Tim Keown, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted "I would hate me too" if he were the fan of an opposing team watching him get to the free-throw line as often as he does:

"It's fun to me. The way I see it, the fans, the people that watched the games and root against us, they want their team to win. You will never hear an Oklahoma City Thunder fan complaining about my free throws. You will never hear a Lakers fan complaining about LeBron or Luka's free throws. ... I get it, guys. I would hate me, too."

One byproduct of Oklahoma City's success over the past two seasons is a lot of complaints about the team's style of play, particularly the amount of calls that go in its favor.

Gilgeous-Alexander is at the forefront of that discussion because of his knack for getting to the foul line.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown didn't specifically name Gilgeous-Alexander, but it may not have been a coincidence that he spoke about players who "manipulate" the game in a rant about foul-baiting right after a game against Oklahoma City on March 12.

One player who came to Gilgeous-Alexander's defense was Draymond Green, who recently said on his podcast that the Thunder guard has "mastered the art of drawing a foul" because he uses the opponent's leverage against them to get whistles.

Even though a lot of attention gets paid to Gilgeous-Alexander right now, he has never led the NBA in free-throw attempts per game. His 9.0 attempts per game this season ranked third, behind Luka Dončić and Deni Avdija.

Gilgeous-Alexander has ranked in the top three in free-throw attempts per contest every season since 2022-23. He has led the league in free throws made per game in each of the past three seasons.

One thing that has been made clear is whatever Gilgeous-Alexander is doing has worked. To use Brown's way of describing it, he is able to manipulate the game to his will and uses it to get additional points for his team.

Fans and analysts don't have to like it, but it's working to great effect for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. He is the frontrunner to win the MVP award for a second consecutive year, while the Thunder are off to an 8-0 start this postseason as they look to repeat as NBA champions.