Ex-Clippers Star Doesn’t Believe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Got Exposed in Conference Finals: “He’s Going To Be There Year After Year"

After the events of the 2026 Western Conference Finals, there's been an ongoing narrative that the San Antonio Spurs exposed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's weaknesses. Throughout the 2025-26 season, fans have slowly turned their backs on Gilgeous-Alexander. This is due to his frequency on the free-throw line. SGA has notoriously gained a reputation for being a flopper and a foul-baiter.

While many have begun questioning SGA's MVP status, a former LA Clippers star thinks otherwise. In a recent episode of Underground Lounge, Lou Williams shared his thoughts on Gilgeous-Alexander. Williams immediately backed up the OKC Thunder star by reminding everyone about the greatness he saw in a young SGA.

"In our game, you want your young star to be coachable, a worker, one of the guys, the toughest, smartest," Williams said. "SGA was all of those things. ... Because that’s how much I believed in him as a rookie. He was one of the first rookies that I was on the team with that I said, ‘Hey, that boy going to be a star.'"

Williams then noted how he's sick of hearing the criticism that surrounds Gilgeous-Alexander.

"When he started his climb, and he got a championship out of it, he got an MVP out of it, and I look at him, and I'm like, 'Bro, at the end of the day, the world look at him as SGA, that's my rook,'" Williams added. "So I ain't trying to hear none of that (criticism) about him. That's my rook. ... When I hear that s**t, I want him to prove everybody wrong."

Despite Williams' praise, SGA can't hide from the truth. During the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs played a more disciplined, yet physical defense on the Thunder. This led to several no-calls on Gilgeous-Alexander's flopping.

Typically, when his defender makes even the slightest contact, SGA would easily find himself on the charity stripe. However, since the Spurs knew better than to tightly guard the OKC star, the 'Free Throw Merchant' was nowhere to be found.

During their playoff matchup against the Phoenix Suns, SGA averaged 12.3 free throw attempts per game. But when faced against the Spurs, his attempts dropped to 9.3 per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Fails to Win Major Sports Award Despite MVP Season

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA MVP. He won his second consecutive award in 2026 after averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Usually, when you're the league's MVP, you're also the best player.

However, after the results of ESPN's ESPY Awards, Gilgeous-Alexander surprisingly didn't take home the Best NBA Player award. Instead, the honor was given to Jalen Brunson, one of the reigning NBA champions, as part of the New York Knicks.

Despite Brunson not being named the regular-season MVP, there's no questioning why he's deserving of the award. He has three more MVP awards compared to SGA last season, winning the NBA Cup MVP, Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP in the same season. Brunson is also the first player to accomplish that feat.

While we're not entirely sure, there's a slight possibility that the recent criticism of Gilgeous-Alexander factored in his loss at the ESPYs. Each ESPY award is decided by fan voting. Unfortunately for SGA, he doesn't seem to be in good standing with basketball fans at the moment.