Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's back-to-back reigning league MVP, separating himself as one of the greatest players in the game. However, with this success comes quite a bit of criticism from NBA fans. Fair or not, Gilgeous-Alexander has developed a reputation for "foul-baiting" in order to get to the free-throw line.
Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard averaged nine free-throw attempts per game, trailing only Luka Doncic and Deni Avdija for the league lead. During a recent exclusive interview with Time Magazine, Gilgeous-Alexander issued a response to this "foul-baiting" narrative. "And if a narrative on social media is the worst that comes from this game for me, well, I’d take that a million times out of a million times.” Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game through his eighth NBA season in 2025-26.
He led the Thunder to another Western Conference Finals appearance, where they ultimately fell to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. The Thunder will begin their 2026-27 regular-season schedule with an opening-day matchup against the Spurs on Oct. 20.
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