Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, despite winning consecutive MVPs, has not particularly earned the love of fans outside the Thunder’s supporters quite yet. He receives a lot of criticism for using ‘unethical’ ways of drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line excessively.
So much so that a sports betting company, Underdog, decided to make a board game on him, which was inspired by the famous board game, Operation, where every time you touch Gilgeous-Alexander while picking up the ball, the buzzer goes off.
Subsequently, Gilgeous-Alexander sought legal advice and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Underdog, demanding the destruction of this game immediately.
“The company had a contest to give away 100 copies of the game during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs,” wrote Jason Jones of The Athletic, who first broke this story.
“In a letter dated May 22 and obtained by The Athletic, Eric Fishman of law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP, representing Gilgeous-Alexander, asked Underdog to ‘permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website), apps, social media accounts, digital marketing and advertisements, promotional emails, push notifications, affiliate or influencer placements, and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.’”
“The letter also asks that all board games be destroyed and that Underdog not use Gilgeous-Alexander’s name, image, or likeness without his permission. Underdog did not immediately comment on the letter,” Jones further added.
As of now, nearly a week after the letter was issued, both the website and the initial advertisements for the board game remain active and are still uploaded on social media.
dawg they made a commercial for the ‘Unethical Hoops’ SGA operation board game 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/LIjnuQVtbW
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 22, 2026
While Underdog can probably not undo what it has already put out on social media, it can stop the circulation of the game and avoid further using the reigning MVP’s NIL without his permission to dodge a potential lawsuit that might follow.
In an interesting turn of events, Gilgeous-Alexander’s close friend, Dillon Brooks, who is also his Canadian national teammate, was one of the primary promoters of this game and even appeared in their official advertisement for the game.
Unethical Hoops, coming soon… pic.twitter.com/ANdHV4JTjr
— Underdog (@Underdog) May 21, 2026
While it is still uncertain if Underdog plans to take action based on this letter, this may sour things between Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander. But if what Gilgeous-Alexander says is true, he doesn’t really care about being called a “flopper” after Game 3.
“It does nothing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Doesn’t fuel me, doesn’t discourage me. It’s part of the game. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time. I don’t really hear it. I’m focused on what’s going on on the court.”
However, actions do speak louder than words. It is a bit interesting to note that on one hand, he says he doesn’t care about being called a flopper, and on the other, his lawyer is stopping people from profiting off calling him one. Seems a bit ironic to me. If Underdog does not comply with the letter, then a potential lawsuit may be heading their way.
