Following a tight loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown made waves with his comments that suggested Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was good at selling foul calls.
The criticism was clear.
âSGA is⦠Heâs a tough cover,â Brown told reporters. âHe does a great job of convincing the referees, probably better than anybody in the league, that heâs getting hit.â
Brown isnât the first to say itâhe certainly wonât be the lastâbut NBA fans didnât exactly appreciate who the messenger was on this one.
After the Knicksâ head coach made that comment, the quote went viral on social media and landed New Yorkâs star guard Jalen Brunson some strays from basketball fans.
NBA Fans Fire Back With Jalen Brunson Comments
GettyLandry Shamet (#44) of the left of Jalen Brunson (#11) celebrating.
@lm277_: He has Brunson on his team
@JayMile96: he had one more ft than brunson bc of a tech on him lmao and challenged nothing the whole game
Thereâs no denying that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best when it comes to getting calls that send him to the charity stripe. For the past few seasons, heâs developed a reputation that doesnât always come with the most positive reviews. Heâs often referred to as a foul-baiter, despite being one of the best pure point guards in the game.
However, Brunson isnât all that different. In fact, the Knicksâ star is in a similar boat. Brunson is clearly one of the best point guards in the game, but heâs also one of the best at selling foul calls to get to the line. The fact that Gilgeous-Alexander shot just one more free throw than Brunson on Wednesday night didnât exactly work in Brownâs favor while making that comment.
@beyonkamae: your star player is brunson. cmon man
@Wilsonbatcave32: Just like Brunson, right coach?
@Chamb6223: You coach Jalen Brunson, hello???
A Look At The Numbers
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 14: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks and Team Knicks reacts after a shot during the Kia Shooting Stars during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images)
In Brownâs defense, Gilgeous-Alexander is elite at getting to the line. As he averages over 9.0 free throw attempts per game, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks top three in the NBA, trailing only Deni Avdija and Luka Doncic.
Brunson is shockingly outside of the top 20 in that category this season, averaging 5.8 per game.
This season, the free-throw numbers are down for Brunson. After he averaged under 3.0 attempts per game through his first four seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson saw that number jump to 5.8 per game during his first season with the Knicks. Over the next two seasons, Brunson averaged 6.5 and 6.9 free throws per game.
Despite his numbers being down from the free-throw line, Brunson is still averaging 26.5 points per game, which hovers around his career-high. Heâs attempting threes at the highest rate of his career (7.5 per game).
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While there is a clear difference between Gilgeous-Alexander and Brunson this season when it comes to getting the line, Brownâs argument wasnât as strong on Wednesday as the numbers were nearly identical.
The NBA MVP checked in for 35 minutes and produced 26 points, eight assists, and three rebounds. Brunson came in for 39 minutes to shoot 5-18 from the field, scoring 16 points, while dishing out a game-high 15 assists. Both sides had an impressive performance. SGAâs Thunder had the edge.
OKC knocked off NYC with a 103-100 victory. The Thunder move to 49â15 on the season. The Knicks dropped to 40-23.
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