OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken the league by storm over the last few years and even emerged as the NBA's leading scorer in the 2024-25 season. But as with anything in the NBA, fans are going to find something to complain about. Shai's father, Vaughn Alexander, doesn't want to hear about it.

As Gilgeous-Alexander has continued to impress with his scoring prowess, fans have taken issues with his ability to draw free throws and the generous whistle he gets from NBA officials.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's dad sounds off

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and a block per game for the Thunder this season. He also attempted 8.8 free throws per game, which is the second-highest mark of his career behind his 2022-23 mark of 10.9 free throws attempted per game.

The style that Gilgeous-Alexander plays, however, with the ability to lean into defenders and use his body to repeatedly draw foul after foul, has rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. It's a big reason NBA fans have started calling him a “free throw merchant,” and even the NBA's broadcasters have gotten in on the action.

During a recent sit-down interview with ClutchPoints, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's father, Vaughn Alexander, expressed frustration with fans calling his son a “free throw merchant.”

“Really and truly, let's be real, it's a skill, it's an art,” Vaughn Alexander said of his son. “It is. If you guys don't want us to be a ‘free throw merchant,' guess what you do? Just change your rules. You're allowed to play football and headlock people, right? There are rules, guys, you cannot foul, you cannot touch people, so I don't know what you want me to do, bro. You know what I mean? I can't change the rules. Once the rules are there, I'm going to be a free throw merchant.

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“It's knowing when to draw those so-called fouls. They call him a ‘free throw merchant.' I know you're in a bad position. I'm going up. It's a foul. I'm going to go up, bro. I'm going to go up. You run on my back, I'm going to go up. I don't care. Like, it's actually a skill.”

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged just under 11 free throws per game during his 2022-23 season, but the social media discourse around him never included claims of being a “free throw merchant.”

It appears most of that changed once the Thunder elevated to championship contenders and all eyes were on Gilgeous-Alexander as a potential MVP candidate.

“Is it against the rules?” Vaughn Alexander asked ClutchPoints. “Tell me if I'm going against the rules. I don't think he's doing nothing against the rules, bro, so change the rules. Talk to Adam Silver or whoever you need to to change the rules and get back to us.”

Throughout the 2024-25 postseason, the OKC Thunder star has averaged 9.4 free throw attempts per game, including 10 games with at least 10 free throws attempted.

Even Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain, who spoke with ClutchPoints exclusively during the NBA Finals, says he can see both sides of the equation when it comes to the Thunder's MVP.

“Yeah, I see both sides of it,” McCain told ClutchPoints. “But I think it's just smart play. A lot of them, they are fouls. He's just using his body against the defender and you're fouling. It's just a smart way to play, but I see both sides of it. How fans don't want to see, I guess, the slow pace of just getting to the finish line, but at the end of the day, he's just trying to win a game and he's trying to get as many buckets as possible. So I think it's smart and I'm trying to learn as much as I can.”

Free throw merchant or not, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is just one win away from an NBA championship and will look to lead the Thunder to a Game 7 win on Sunday night.