The Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off a lead-taking win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3, once again led by the reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While he’s one of the most gifted scorers in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the NBA’s most polarizing players. It’s no secret that he gets to the free throw line at a very high rate and his exaggeration of contact is well-documented.
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Throughout Game 3, Spurs fans in San Antonio let SGA hear it with “flopper” chants that were loud enough to drown out the broadcast commentary.
After leading OKC to a 15-point win, he said the chants don’t affect him in any way.
“It does nothing. Doesn’t fuel me, doesn’t discourage me. It’s part of the game,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with it a long time. I don’t really hear it.”
Friday night was far from the first time that SGA has heard these chants, but it was easily the loudest and most intense ones he’s received so far.
He’s been the butt of many jokes this postseason, including a hilarious new board game recently made by Underdog. The limited quantity game is called “Unethical Hoops”, an Operation-like board game that focuses on removing small basketballs from SGA’s body without being called for a foul.
Clearly, the idea that Gilgeous-Alexander is a foul-baiter has gained a lot of traction lately. He’s not letting it phase him in the slightest.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
