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Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has never been afraid to speak his mind and that is the case when it comes to the flopping controversy surrounding NBA superstar and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Throughout these NBA playoffs, SGA has been under the microscope for his propensity to flop in an attempt to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
This certainly isn’t the first time Gilgeous-Alexander has been scrutinized, but it feels like the criticism coming at him is at an all-time high.
While SGA’s supporters view all of this as negative, Draymond sees it in a different light.
“Shai, you’ve reached a new level of greatness my mam,” Green said. “You got sports media coming out and talking about what they don’t like about your greatness, as if SGA is running up and down the court with the whistle in his mouth calling a foul for himself… you all think the NBA is that easy to where this guy just flops and goes to the free throw line and he becomes the back to back MVP? We really gonna dumb the NBA down to that?”
We certainly understand the criticism coming SGA’s way, but the league and referees deserve blame, also.
May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Michael Wilson thinks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to teach a whole generation of kids how to flop and we’ll start seeing that on the playground.
“If SGA goes back to back, and enters next season as a two-time champion and two-time MVP, guess what? There will be kids on the playground learning how to flop,” he said.
Maybe he’s right, but LeBron James and several other NBA players have probably already done that.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg also called Gilgeous-Alexander “unwatchable.”
“Sometimes watching him play is agonizing. It is not fun,” he said. “You have to understand that for the rest of us, watching this style of play is not like watching Steph, it’s not like watching Michael Jordan. It’s just not. We’re watching to be entertained.”
We even have Underdog creating a board game that mocks Gilgeous-Alexander’s flopping.
OK, that one was hilarious, but not in SGA’s mind, as his attorney sent a cease and desist letter to the company.
Doing that certainly isn’t going to help the Thunder superstar get more people in his corner.
Gilgeous-Alexander might be one of, if not the biggest offenders when it comes to flopping. Of that, there is no doubt.
MORE: SGA enters Game 7 vs. Spurs with legacy on the line
But this is a problem the NBA has had for years, and it continues to be a problem, even with the NBA having a rule to prevent flopping.
Knowing that, the fault is really mostly on the league for not enforcing the rule.
Do that and see how fast SGA and other NBA players stop the flop.
Continue reading...
Throughout these NBA playoffs, SGA has been under the microscope for his propensity to flop in an attempt to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
This certainly isn’t the first time Gilgeous-Alexander has been scrutinized, but it feels like the criticism coming at him is at an all-time high.
While SGA’s supporters view all of this as negative, Draymond sees it in a different light.
“Shai, you’ve reached a new level of greatness my mam,” Green said. “You got sports media coming out and talking about what they don’t like about your greatness, as if SGA is running up and down the court with the whistle in his mouth calling a foul for himself… you all think the NBA is that easy to where this guy just flops and goes to the free throw line and he becomes the back to back MVP? We really gonna dumb the NBA down to that?”
We certainly understand the criticism coming SGA’s way, but the league and referees deserve blame, also.
Reactions to SGA’s flopping are at a fever pitch
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May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Michael Wilson thinks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to teach a whole generation of kids how to flop and we’ll start seeing that on the playground.
“If SGA goes back to back, and enters next season as a two-time champion and two-time MVP, guess what? There will be kids on the playground learning how to flop,” he said.
Maybe he’s right, but LeBron James and several other NBA players have probably already done that.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg also called Gilgeous-Alexander “unwatchable.”
“Sometimes watching him play is agonizing. It is not fun,” he said. “You have to understand that for the rest of us, watching this style of play is not like watching Steph, it’s not like watching Michael Jordan. It’s just not. We’re watching to be entertained.”
We even have Underdog creating a board game that mocks Gilgeous-Alexander’s flopping.
OK, that one was hilarious, but not in SGA’s mind, as his attorney sent a cease and desist letter to the company.
Doing that certainly isn’t going to help the Thunder superstar get more people in his corner.
Gilgeous-Alexander might be one of, if not the biggest offenders when it comes to flopping. Of that, there is no doubt.
MORE: SGA enters Game 7 vs. Spurs with legacy on the line
But this is a problem the NBA has had for years, and it continues to be a problem, even with the NBA having a rule to prevent flopping.
Knowing that, the fault is really mostly on the league for not enforcing the rule.
Do that and see how fast SGA and other NBA players stop the flop.
Continue reading...
