After his first MVP award, Michael Jordan attempted 9.8 free throws per game. Nobody called him a merchant. The Bulls were 50-32, and MJ averaged 35 points. Now it’s a different conversation regarding two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead of the usual criticism, he had a supporter.

Vaughn Gilgeous-Alexander, father of Gilgeous-Alexander, addressed the free-throw controversy.

“I don’t believe in shooting 50 threes a game,” he said (h/t) Clemente Almanza. “I know the game has gotten to that point, scoring is up, yeah, probably, but it’s the way you do it. Doing it the hard way works the same way. You go into the lane, bam, and-one, hit your free throw. I think that’s a beautiful part of the game. It’s the hard way.”

In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made 16 of 17 free throw attempts while shooting 7-of-19 from the field, and finishing with 32 points in a 127-114 Thunder win that pushed Oklahoma City to a 3-2 series lead.

By that point, he had made more free throws than field goals across the entire postseason, 120 free throws made to 114 field goals — a stat that circulated widely on social media and reignited the “free throw merchant” label.

After the Spurs defeated the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 14, 2025, Victor Wembanyama said: “I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful, pure and ethical basketball.” He later clarified that he wasn’t throwing shade at SGA.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams said: “SGA has fallen on shot attempts 15 times in the last two games. That’s more than Wemby has fallen the entire postseason. The shot chart needs a floor map now.”

Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh followed with an analysis of more than 1,300 playoff shot attempts across five top scorers. He found that Gilgeous-Alexander hit the floor at a substantially higher rate than any of his peers, including James Harden, who is widely regarded by fans as one of the ‘legendary flops’ in recent NBA history.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on The Hoop Collective about SGA’s mindset to the narrative. MacMahon described it as someone who understands that he is using the rules to his advantage and sees no reason to apologize for doing so within a system that rewards it.

Scottie Barnes defended him, saying: “There’s no reason to hate on his game. I don’t like that argument. That argument is so bad to me.” The year after Jordan won his first MVP, nobody questioned whether his free throws were real points. The year after Shai won his, the debate is at its loudest.

The debate will likely outlast the season. But the free throw line, for now, is where the back-to-back MVP is doing most of his damage, and the Thunder are probably going to be one win away from the next NBA Finals.