Ex-Nuggets Coach's Harsh One-Word Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Statement

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the talk of the Western Conference Finals so far. It's not his nod for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, however—it's his free throws. Sure, Gilgeous-Alexander has dealt with that type of criticism all year, but it is under a large microscope now that the top-seeded Thunder are two wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.

In Game 1, he attempted 14 free throws and made 11 of them, with 7 of those attempts coming in the first quarter alone. In Game 2, he set a new career playoff-high with 15 free-throw attempts and made 13. In 9 of those fouls that Gilgeous-Alexander drew in Game 2, 7 of them were shooting fouls.

This is not new, as he ranked second in the NBA for free throw attempts per game at 8.8 and led the league in free throws made per game at 7.9.

May 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) in the first quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone went on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt after Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to discuss Gilgeous-Alexander's whistle.

"It's almost impossible. A lot of times offensive players like Shai will initiate the contact or hook his arm looking to draw that contact. He is a foul artist," Malone said of the NBA MVP.

In simpler terms, he coined up the way Gilgeous-Alexander gets calls from the referees as "favorable."

Malone: "It's almost impossible. A lot of times offensive players like Shai will initiate the contact or hook his arm looking to draw that contact. He is a foul artist" https://t.co/Kr8ODLnZd6 pic.twitter.com/a1MvBKDT13
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 23, 2025

Those are some harsh words from a coach who had to gameplan and scheme against him for Gilgeous-Alexander's entire career. The NBA Most Valuable Player had 44 free throws resulting from drives in 12 playoff games leading up to the Western Conference Finals, which led all players.

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