Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unbothered by ‘free throw merchant' chants: ‘I don't care'
After all, it's working.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star and league MVP, after he led the team to a narrow 128-126 win over the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night, said the 'free throw merchant' chants he's been getting aren't bothering him. If anything, it's the opposite.
'In terms of the label, I don't care,' he said. 'I never cared … I've shot more free throws in a season than I did this season. I think because we're on top of everybody's radar, it's a little more noticeable and now people care about it.
"I kind of see it as a compliment.'
'I don't care. I never cared. … I kinda see it as a compliment.' SGA on free throw merchant chants 😅🗣️ pic.twitter.com/F2dwtTxEuv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 27, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-of-14 from the free throw line in Monday's win at the Target Center. He accounted for all but four of the team's made free throws, too, and 2/3 of their attempted shots from the stripe.
Gilgeous-Alexander also scored Oklahoma City's final five points from the free throw line, though he missed a critical one down the stretch that could have put the game away earlier. He finished the night just shy of a triple-double with 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the win, which put the Thunder up 3-1 in the series.
Timberwolves fans didn't let up on Gilgeous-Alexander one bit on Monday, and repeatedly hit him with 'free throw merchant chants."
Wolves fans are chanting "free throw merchant" at SGA 😅 pic.twitter.com/TBh16JP0MK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 27, 2025
ESPN's Doris Burke also called him out in the first half, too, after he drew a simple foul from Rudy Gobert that got him to the free throw line. There was nothing wrong or illegal about Gilgeous-Alexander's move on that play, either. Players throughout the NBA do the exact same thing on a nightly basis during the season, as it's successful and an easy way to get points on the board more often than not.
'This is why he's called the free throw merchant'DORRIS BURKE LMAOOOOO pic.twitter.com/KKjZpAqnXs
— 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏'𝒔 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 (@Tatums0Burner) May 27, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 7.9 made free throws per game this season, and he attempted the second-most per game in the NBA behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gilgeous-Alexander, as he noted, beat both of those figures significantly during the 2022-23 campaign.
While opposing fans may find it annoying, Gilgeous-Alexander isn't likely to let them get into his head at this point. With the Thunder now just a single win away from reaching their first NBA Finals since 2012, there is absolutely no reason for him to change his strategy.
Like it or not, it's incredibly effective.
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