Why do some NBA fans call Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a 'free-throw merchant'?
Why do some NBA fans call Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a 'free-throw merchant'?
Over the next few weeks, you might hear a somewhat common refrain about Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When I say "common," I'm mainly referring to how some NBA fans talk about Gilgeous-Alexander on social media.
Nonetheless, if you spend any time online, it's hard not to notice.
Of course, I'm referring to Gilgeous-Alexander's rather unfortunate "free-throw merchant" nickname. The very same nickname that ESPN announcer Doris Burke used to describe Gilgeous-Alexander during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Now, if you're just tuning into the NBA season only now (no judgment!), you might be wondering: why do some people refer to Gilgeous-Alexander as a "free-throw merchant?" Let me explain and try to lend some depth to this conversation.
First off, it's not just that Gilgeous-Alexander is usually at or near the top of the NBA leaderboards in free-throw attempts. Yes, only Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged more free throws per game than Gilgeous-Alexander during the regular season. And yes, only Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić, and Donovan Mitchell averaged more than him during the postseason. If the discussion about Gilgeous-Alexander was limited solely to these statistics, it'd probably be much more challenging for some to label him as a "grifter" simply aiming for the charity stripe, because most of the NBA's top players get to the free throw line. And often.
Aside from exceptions here and there, it's always been a basic fact of the league that stars usually shoot lots of free throws. And every fan of a star player usually thinks they don't shoot enough free throws. Get used to it!
Plus, as For The Win's Prince Grimes points out, Gilgeous-Alexander's reliance on free throws isn't actually as stark and drastic as it seems:
While it's true Gilgeous-Alexander gets to the line a lot — he has the second-most attempts behind Giannis Antetokounmpo each of the last two years — his 9.2 attempts per game this postseason don't rank very high historically. According to research by Tom Haberstroh, Gilgeous-Alexander's 110 attempts over 12 playoff games actually ranks just 406th all-time.
Hmm. That doesn't seem so bad for a player who has also led the NBA in drives toward the rim over the last half-decade. So, what's the problem?
It's more of an aesthetic thing than anything else.
Even if Gilgeous-Alexander might not necessarily be that big of a "free throw merchant," it is hard to deny that he doesn't go out of his way to exaggerate contact. Much of Gilgeous-Alexander's game is centered around putting referees in a tough spot to make or ignore a call. He will throw himself at defenders before falling back to the court ... hard. He will exaggerate the punishment a defender gives him on a fadeaway mid-range shot. He will, in essence, use his athleticism to use defenders' momentum against them and make officials make a split-second call in a lightning-quick environment.
It's the main difference between Gilgeous-Alexander and someone like Antetokounmpo, who is often one of the biggest players on the court and who seemingly doesn't go out of his way to put as much of an onus on the officials. Many stars draw lots of free throw attempts. Not everyone does it in the same high-profile, exaggerated fashion as Gilgeous-Alexander, which probably makes his antics harder for some fans to ignore.
More NBA players could and probably should emulate Gilgeous-Alexander because everyone knows how the league is officiated, but I'm really glad they don't. The game would likely become unrecognizable if that were the case.
Nonetheless, none of this is meant to denigrate Gilgeous-Alexander as a player. He's the 2025 league MVP for a reason. He'll be a fixture in the Team World starting lineup during the next All-Star Game because he really is a special scorer and initiator. We're talking about one of the five best men's basketball players in the world, dearest readers.
But don't be surprised when you see Gilgeous-Alexander wildly flailing his arms around or throwing his chest into a defender to get some likely cheap free throws during these NBA Finals. He makes it look worse, and sometimes that's all that really matters to fans. It's also just kind of what he does.
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