It’s all fun and games till NIL is involved. After getting relentlessly trolled for his playing style, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander called foul (pun intended) on someone else, almost making money off it. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is taking legal action to protect his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) amid his team’s deep postseason push toward the NBA Finals.

According to a report by The Athletic, legal representatives for the 2x MVP have issued a strict cease-and-desist letter to the sports prediction market platform Underdog Fantasy Sports regarding a viral promotional campaign and physical board game designed to satirize SGA’s playing style.

In a letter dated May 22, 2026, attorney Eric Fishman of the law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP, representing Gilgeous-Alexander, formally requested that Underdog “permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media.”

The demand explicitly encompasses Underdog’s primary websites, applications, social media channels, digital marketing assets, promotional emails, and “any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.”

Underdog had recently manufactured and commercialized a physical board game titled Unethical Hooper (also promoted as Unethical Hoops), which heavily spoofed the classic children’s game Operation. Instead of extracting the funny bone, this game featured a caricature of Shai, challenging players to extract pieces from designated areas without triggering a buzzer, which indicates a personal foul.

Apparently, it’s not the trolling nature. The primary motivation behind the legal pivot was the unauthorized commercial monetization of the guard’s likeness without explicit consent. While public parodies are frequently protected under different parameters, Underdog’s development of physical inventory intended for direct retail and customer acquisition created a need for SGA to act.

Not to mention the viral factor that one of his rivals brought to the whole campaign.

Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander’s on-court style meets off-court viral narrative in Western Conference Finals

The promotional release was intentionally timed to coincide with heightened public discourse surrounding the Thunder’s ascending roster. As the direct focal point of OKC’s offense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander frequently draws intense scrutiny from opposing fanbases due to his ability to navigate into the paint and generate high-volume free-throw attempts. Or, as the summarizing term floated around is, ‘foul-baiting.’

He’s made an art form of it, and it’s becoming a contentious argument about OKC’s ongoing playoff run. The narrative expanded significantly during the Thunder’s first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, when Suns forward Dillon Brooks actively trolled his opponents for ‘flopping’ during games.

He didn’t stop outside the court either. Dillon the Villain appeared in digital advertisements featuring Underdog’s Unethical Hooper game to target his on-court rival humorously.

Despite their highly physical playoff battles and trolling, Brooks and SGA maintain a close personal relationship established during their time as teammates on the Canadian men’s national basketball team. This friendship might be the reason Brooks isn’t subject to SGA’s cease-and-desist.

However, Brooks’ involvement turned the campaign viral across social media platforms, mostly fans losing it over his rage-baiting humor, and prompting the formal intervention of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s legal team to halt the unsanctioned branding.

Within the broader basketball discussion, the 27-year-old remained entirely unfazed by the off-court distraction. The strategy is yielding positive results on the hardwood.

Just days after the cease-and-desist letter was issued, Shai delivered a commanding 32-point, 9-assist performance in Game 5 to power Oklahoma City to a crucial 127-114 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, moving the Thunder within a single win of an NBA Finals berth.