Shai Gilgeous-Alexander refused to clap back at a Minnesota Timberwolves heckler after Monday’s postseason win. Fans online did it for him.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star took some time to greet his fans following his team’s Western Conference Finals Game 4 win over the Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. As he approached a group to sign autographs, one fan began to heckle SGA.
“How much you pay the refs? How much you pay the refs? Goofy. How much you pay the refs? Shai, how much you pay the refs, Shai?” the fan repeatedly yelled.
“How much you pay the refs?”
— Overtime (@overtime) May 27, 2025
T Wolves fan to SGA 😳 (via isseballer_/TT) pic.twitter.com/iDdKTUvwyH
To Gilgeous-Alexander’s credit, he completely ignored the noise despite the fan harassing him nonstop. However, the fan plenty caught of flak online. Many clowned him for having such a high-pitched voice.
The voice of the average SGA hater
— Prince (@Princedommm) May 27, 2025
Got Cleveland Jr. behind the camera pic.twitter.com/wT9gFnQT8H
— Shane Gillis-Alexander (@_therealSGA) May 27, 2025
Others made fun of him for sounding like Mickey Mouse.
Why he sound like Mickey Mouse
— definitely not my burner (@sports_only_) May 27, 2025
“hOw MuCh YoU pAy ThE rEfS sHaI?” pic.twitter.com/nsDs90Yqxw
— 5 more ⚡️🥭 (@Oksportsfan11) May 27, 2025
There’s been a lot of discourse about Gilgeous-Alexander being labeled a “free throw merchant” due to his ability to draw fouls.
SGA shot 14 free throws in Game 4, double the next highest player (Anthony Edwards with 7). But the Timberwolves did shoot more free throws than the Thunder in the contest (28 to 21) and even got an unlikely assist from a courtside fan.
Gilgeous-Alexander himself has spoken up about not being bothered by the “free throw merchant” label. All that matters to him is that the Thunder are a game away from making the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years.
