The Golden State Warriors fought hard but came up short against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr was asked about Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and how last season’s MVP got to the free-throw line 15 times against the Warriors, making all but one.
“He’s incredibly clever. He knows exactly how to draw contact. It’s all within the rules. I don’t have a problem with Shai. I have a problem with the rules," Kerr said.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says what entire NBA knows about SGA
Kerr is being careful to not criticize Gilgeous-Alexander, but his answer is a subtle endorsement of the “foul-merchant” reputation that the reigning MVP has earned among many NBA fans.
For those unfamiliar, critics of Gilgeous-Alexander’s game have often said that he's a player who knows how to get to the free-throw line, allowing him to pad his stats and raise his point total.
Clearly, Gilgeous-Alexander does much more than just get to the free-throw line. He’s an MVP and does a ton of things well, but some view the way he plays the game as less pure than someone like, say, Stephen Curry, who does not get the same calls in comparison and does things on the court that literally no other human can do.
Steve Kerr on SGA (15 free throws tonight): “He’s incredibly clever. He knows exactly how to draw contact. It’s all within the rules. I don’t have a problem with Shai. I have a problem with the rules.” pic.twitter.com/OFESGg8ENg
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander is obviously not the only NBA player who knows what the refs are looking for and can draw contact in a very smart and intentional way to get free-throws. Warriors star Jimmy Butler knows how to draw contact, while James Harden is another star who's often made a living at the line.
It definitely seems like there is some frustration from Kerr on the calls that Gilgeous-Alexander gets, which is why he made sure to take issue with the rules and not the player. Kerr has been vocal about the fact that Curry does not get those kinds of calls, and it has to be frustrating to see another star player getting calls that his player doesn't typically get the benefit of.
Nonetheless, the Warriors have to deal with reality as it is. Sadly, Curry isn’t even on the floor right now as he deals with a nagging knee ailment, meaning the Warriors have bigger fish to fry than Gilgeous-Alexander getting the benefit of the doubt when it comes to calls from the refs. At least Kerr is willing to point it out, though.