OKC Thunder Bench Boss Unfazed by Criticism of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen the NBA narrative regarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get out of hand in recent weeks, but the complaints do not bother OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault.

Feb 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"M-V-P" is the typical chants that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is serenaded with at the free throw line, but in recent weeks in road arenas that crowd chant has shifted to "Free throw merchant" as the growing narrative surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander gets out of hand.

This stems from casual rhetoric from fans and some media members regarding Gilgeous-Alexander's frequent trips to the charity stripe throughout games. Despite few of the whistles being even questionable, it has not stopped this notion from getting out of hand.

Following Friday's win over the Atlanta Hawks, in a game that did not see the Thunder star stepped to the line until the final frame, head coach Mark Daigneault was asked about the growing criticism of the OKC Thunder star.

“Hate is the highest of compliments when it comes to the great players. Comes with the territory of being a great player," Daigneault said.

The Thunder's bench boss response has been proven over the years in all sports, only top line players receive these level of critiques.

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a league best 32.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.9 stocks per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 36 percent from beyond the arc and 89 percent from the free throw line. The Thunder superstar is second in free throw attempts per game (8.9) behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.3).

Mark Daigneault on the free-throw merchant chants directed toward SGA:

“Hate is the highest of compliments when it comes to the great players. Comes with the territory of being a great player.”
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) March 1, 2025

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