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Clippers Fans Let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Hear It With a 'Flopper' Chant

Los Angeles fans had some fun with NBA MVP frontrunner.

Kyle Koster

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against LA Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) during the 4th quarter at Intuit Dome.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against LA Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) during the 4th quarter at Intuit Dome. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming down the stretch of a year where he will likely capture the NBA MVP award. If there's anything to pick apart from his game, his propensity to fall to the ground and exaggerate contact to get calls may be on the list. But that's just smart basketball, especially as his superstar status helps a lot of 50-50 whistles go his way.

The Thunder were in Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Sunday night and SGA was up to his old tricks—scoring 26 points and handing out eight assists while trying to get to the free throw line as often as possible. From there he was a perfect 11-of-11 but was denied a chance at going 13-for-13 when the officials did not buy what he was selling on a close-range shot near the end of the third quarter.

Clippers fans got to enjoy that particular moment and use it as an opportunity to start a "flopper" chant at his expense.

It's always nice to see and hear a crowd having fun. Thinking about how L.A. fans actively pull for James Harden, who has been known to fall on the ground with frequency himself, takes the fun out of it. So too did the Thunder's eventual 103-101 victory.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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