Two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the Oklahoma City Thunder one game from returning to the NBA Finals as they attempt to win their second straight championship.
Despite their dominance, the Thunder have a controversial reputation, with SGA at its center. His style of play has turned the Oklahoma City Thunder into an NBA villain because of what critics call “foul-baiting.” That reputation has followed him for a while now, dating back at least to last year’s postseason, when ESPN’s Doris Burke tagged SGA the “free-throw merchant.”
Richard Jefferson is sitting in that chair for ESPN now, and he’s on the other side of the fence when it comes to SGA’s style of play. The NBA analyst pushed back on the narrative that SGA only succeeds because he’s a flopper on a recent Road Trippin’ episode.
Richard Jefferson on the narrative of SGA is just a flopper, and why narratives are stupid because they don’t win championships:
“If you takeaway every free throw that Shai shoots and has shot, if you take away free throws from the game of basketball he is still top 2 or 3 in… https://t.co/jXJkUdXfAF pic.twitter.com/jfHtSrelJe
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 27, 2026
“Narrative don’t win championships,” said Jefferson. “If it don’t bother them, it don’t bother them. It don’t bother Shai. He don’t care. You tell me whatever you gotta do to get all the way to win a championship, two-time MVP, on a chance to get two-time Finals MVP…
“If you take away every free throw that Shai shoots and has shot, if you take away free throws from the game of basketball, he still is top 2 or 3 in scoring. That’s how many buckets he gets. His efficiency at 50-plus for multiple years.
“So, the narrative is ‘if I don’t like a player, I can lead into a narrative.’ If I’m talking about an opposing team, if I’m a Spurs fan, I can push the narrative. If I’m a Denver fan, I can push the narrative. If I’m a Minnesota fan, I can push the narrative. It doesn’t matter. So, that narrative can be driven without people trying to actually impose it.
“Did the narrative affect him winning an MVP? No. Did a narrative affect him winning Finals MVP? No. Why would you start worrying about narratives now?”
Jefferson isn’t the first NBA media member to scoff at the narratives surrounding the Thunder, but many others think there’s merit in criticizing their style of play. Whatever happens from here on out, don’t expect the narratives to calm down anytime soon, especially if the Thunder repeat.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.