Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's father says calling Thunder star a 'foul merchant' is foolish
03/29/2025 03:59 PM
Unfortunately, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's first NBA MVP will be remembered for the wrong reasons by a segment of fans. To the Thunder star’s detractors, his propensity for getting to the line is all they can grumble about. That's disappointing because his game is so much more than some cartoonish portrayal of him as a Hardeneque charlatan fooling officials. He's also the NBA's most efficient, high-volume midrange shooting guard by a wide margin.
On Thursday's episode of Gil's Arena, Gilgeous-Alexander’s father, Vaughn, gave his nuanced thoughts on the critiques launched at his son.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s father Vaughn Alexander speaks on people calling his son a free throw merchant on Gils Arena pic.twitter.com/YKsHwm5seA
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"It's actually a skill. You go back to Iverson and Kobe and the guys that do it…like you're trying to draw a foul, yes…when I beat you and you can't recover and stay in front of me, it's a foul, moth**f***er." Vaughn stated.
"They say you can't touch him. Well, guess what, you're not supposed to teach people in basketball." Vaughn added with an incredulous chuckle."I would say that if I see a lot of the calls he gets is like, 'bro that's not a foul'…but every best player gets those."
To emphasize his point, Vaughn also referenced the well-tread video of Magic Johnson ribbing Michael Jordan during a Dream Team photoshoot. During the shoot, Johnson, who was beside Larry Bird, and behind M.J. taunted him . in jest by saying, "You can't get too close to Michael, it's a foul."
Vaughn is on point, though. The same criticisms lobbed at his son were used against Jordan. In 1987, Jordan led the league in free throws by attempting 11.9 a night. On average, that's three more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempts. A notable difference is that he plays in the social media age, where the fuss has reached deafening levels.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in free throws made by a wide margin, but only because he's a more precise shooter than No. 2. The Thunder guard doesn't even lead the NBA in free throw attempts per contest. Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10.4 free throws per game is a free throw and a half more than Gilgeous-Alexander's.
The Thunder star is still nowhere near Harden's pinnacle of free-throw trip mileage. In 2020, Harden's 11.8 freebies a night forced the NBA to address it with addendums to the rule book. This season, the 35-year-old Harden is third in free attempts per night, averaging 7.4 per night.
"He's changing pace, he's not trying to blow by you with his speed or strength. His first step is what his thing is." Vaughn explained in closing. "He's not gonna run a 50-yard dash as the fastest guy…He'll lull you to sleep, change pace, change directions, and that's gonna lead to fouls sometimes."
Ultimately, Vaughn identifies why Gilgeous-Alexander catches so much flack. He's a terrestrial athlete who doesn't take a pounding inside. However, the numbers don't lie, and the MVP votes won't either.
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