A new board game mocks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for 'foul baiting.' He wants it destroyed - BERITAJA

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a caller committee crippled that pokes nosy astatine the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s estimation for garnering foul calls astatine the hint of interaction by an opposing player.

Last week, a lawyer representing the two-time reigning NBA MVP sent a cease-and-desist missive to sports prediction marketplace and imagination sports institution Underdog that includes a request for the demolition of each copies of the cheeky and highly limited-edition crippled Unethical Hoops.

Done successful the style of the children’s classical Operation, Unethical Hoops requires players to usage tweezers to propulsion objects from mini holes, pinch the slightest touch of a metallic separator mounting disconnected a buzzer indicating failure.

Instead of pretending to beryllium doctors attempting to region assemblage parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players enactment arsenic members of an opposing hoops squad trying to return the shot from a animation characteristic who very overmuch resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.

In this game, the buzzer represents the whistle of a foul-calling referee.

“Shai has made hoops each about foul baiting and now you’re stuck guarding him successful Underdog’s caller committee game,” a explanation sounds connected the game’s website. “Don’t get baited. Steal the shot without getting whistled.”

In a missive dated May 22, lawyer Eric Fishman of ArentFox Schiff LLP demanded that Underdog “immediately and permanently cease and desist from immoderate and each usage of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL successful immoderate and each media, including but not constricted to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website)... and immoderate beingness equipment including but not constricted to the committee crippled advertised connected the Unethical Hoops Website.”

The announcement besides calls for Underdog to “immediately destruct each beingness equipment aliases s that usage Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL, including but not constricted to the committee crippled advertised connected the Unethical Hoops Website,” arsenic good arsenic a committedness ne'er to usage the prima player’s name, image aliases likeness without his permission.

Fishman did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from The Times.

According to the Unethical Hoops website, which remains progressive much than a week aft the day connected the cease-and-desist order, only 100 copies of the crippled were made, to beryllium fixed distant to Underdog users. The giveaway ended arsenic scheduled connected Friday.

Underdog declined to remark connected the matter different than to constituent retired that the institution has pulled comical stunts astatine the disbursal of members of the sports world.

“We’ve poked nosy astatine Knicks and Lakers fans, the Red Sox owners, the Mets and more,” a spokesperson said via email. “We for illustration to person immoderate nosy pinch immoderate is successful the sports instrumentality zeitgeist.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is simply a four-time All-Star who led the convention successful scoring past play (2,484 points) and was 2nd successful scoring this play (2,117). He led the Thunder to their first NBA title past year and has them backmost successful the Western Conference finals this twelvemonth (the decisive Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs is Saturday successful Oklahoma City).

While one of the NBA’s biggest stars, Gilgeous-Alexander is often criticized for the number of favorable foul calls he receives — he has classed 2nd aliases 3rd successful the convention for number of free propulsion attempts per crippled successful each of the past 4 seasons and is presently 2nd among each players successful the 2026 playoffs pinch 9.8 a crippled — and the lengths he appears to spell to successful bid to person them.

After Game 2 against the Spurs, 1 NBA instrumentality relationship connected X wrote, “Shai flopped connected each azygous changeable attempt” and posted a video that showed 7 specified examples (Gilgeous-Alexander really attempted 24 shots that night). The post has been viewed 22.7 cardinal times.

Earlier this week, anterior to Game 6 of the convention finals, different instrumentality relationship connected X posted a video “ranking each 44 times SGA fell connected the level while shooting during the 2026 playoffs from slightest to about egregious.” That station has been viewed 1.3 cardinal times.

As the animation likeness of Gilgeous-Alexander states successful the Unethical Hoops ad, “so overmuch arsenic respire connected me, I’m getting the call.”

The real-life SGA was asked during a TV question and reply aft Game 3 successful San Antonio about the “flopper!” chants that rained down connected him astatine Frost Bank Center.

“It’s portion of the game,” he said. “It’s nothing. I’ve been dealing pinch it for a agelong time. I don’t really perceive it. I’m focused connected what’s going connected on the court.”