Richard Jefferson Reacts to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Free Throw Narrative

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from punching their ticket to the NBA Finals.

On Tuesday night, Gilgeous-Alexander led the reigning NBA-champion Thunder to a Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals - taking a 3-2 series lead. SGA recorded 32 points and nine assists in the 127-114 win.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 16 of his 17 free-throw attempts, fueling the popular narrative that he hunts for fouls in order to supplement his scoring from the charity stripe. The All-Star point guard has taken 134 free throws through 13 games on the Thunder’s 2026 playoff run, shooting almost 90% from the line.

After Game 5, former NBA player turned analyst Richard Jefferson weighed in with his thoughts on the narrative surrounding SGA.

"If you takeaway every free throw that Shai shoots and has shot, if you take away free throws from the game of basketball he is still top 2 or 3 in scoring. That's how many buckets he gets,” Jefferson said. “His efficiency at 50 plus for multiple years.”

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“So, the narrative is, if I don't like a player, I can lean into a narrative,” Jefferson added. “If I'm talking about an opposing team, if I'm a Spurs fan, I can push the narrative. … It doesn't matter.”

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Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will look to close out the Western Conference Finals with a Game 6 victory over the Spurs on Thursday night. If not, they’ll return to Oklahoma City for a Game 7 clash.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 1:05 PM.