There have been many vocal dissenters in sports media recently over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his style of play.<\/p>\n
Few have been more consistent and harsher than ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams.<\/p>\n
SGA snagged his second NBA MVP in a row this season and has the Oklahoma City Thunder one game away from returning to the NBA Finals with a chance to repeat as NBA champions. He could also take home a second Finals MVP as well, cementing himself as one of the best players of a generation.<\/p>\n
However, SGA has also developed a reputation as a flopper and \u201cfoul-baiter,\u201d<\/a> using that to pad his stats and create a brand of basketball that draws intense criticism.<\/p>\n Williams has been at the forefront of that critique, saying last week that he finds it very hard to root for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.<\/p>\n Last week, Williams scorched SGA and the Thunder over this style of play and how it makes them unlikable.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you watch OKC play, every single call, every single time they shoot, SGA is landing in somebody\u2019s region, he\u2019s falling down,\u201d\u00a0Williams said last Friday<\/a>. \u201cAnd you\u2019re just like, \u2018How do I root for that? I see why I can root for [Victor Wembanyama]. I can\u2019t root for that.\u2019 As a fan of the game, I just want to see the game respected. And there are times when I watch OKC play, I don\u2019t feel like they respect the process of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n The ESPN NBA analyst also mockingly walked off the set on Thursday when Michael Wilbon suggested that if Oklahoma City wins another title, little kids all across America\u00a0will start learning how to flop<\/a>.<\/p>\n This Friday, Williams took things up a notch, leading a segment on Get Up\u00a0called \u201cLife Alert with SGA\u201d that highlighted all the times the two-time MVP hit the ground unnecessarily<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nah man I\u2019ve NEVER seen a back to back MVP with worse PR than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lmaooo<\/p>\n Jay Williams just introduced a new segment called \u2018Life Alert with SGA\u2019 \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\udc80<\/p>\n \u201cHelp me I\u2019ve fallen and I can\u2019t get up.\u201d \ud83e\udd23 pic.twitter.com\/2hrRnaR4ZH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n All of that scrutiny isn\u2019t going unnoticed, and Williams has been getting pushback from Thunder fans and others, who think he\u2019s just being a hater or jealous of an NBA player who is putting up better numbers than he did in his career.<\/p>\n Williams responded to one such critic on Saturday, saying that if he\u2019s getting personal attacks, he must be doing something right.<\/p>\n One thing I\u2019ve learned in sports, business, and media: when people can\u2019t attack the argument, they attack the messenger. \u2014 Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) May 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I\u2019ve learned in sports, business, and media: when people can\u2019t attack the argument, they attack the messenger,\u201d Williams wrote on X. \u201cI showed three clips. The conversation became about my r\u00e9sum\u00e9. That\u2019s usually a sign we\u2019re no longer discussing the actual point.\u201d<\/p>\n When that critic said he was upset with how ESPN and Get Up were framing the series, Williams responded, saying the critique was hypocritical.<\/p>\n You\u2019re doing the exact thing you\u2019re accusing us of doing. Taking one segment, ignoring the larger body of work, and using it to create a narrative. We\u2019ve spent far more time discussing SGA\u2019s greatness and OKC\u2019s dominance than a 90 second clip. The algorithm rewarded that clip.\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/OYGEzDrGtS<\/a><\/p>\n
I showed three clips. The conversation became about my r\u00e9sum\u00e9. That\u2019s usually a sign we\u2019re no longer discussing the actual point. https:\/\/t.co\/JPg7Jxzwga<\/a><\/p>\n