ESPN’s Jay Williams: Thunder’s foul-baiting strategy makes it impossible to root for them
Credit: ESPN The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending NBA champions and are currently locked in a battle to return to the Finals for a second straight season. They have developed a reputation for being the best team in the league and a force to be reckoned with. They have also developed a reputation for being at the forefront of “ foul-baiting ,” a strategy in which a team initiates contact or flops in order to draw foul calls.
Two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is often called out for this practice and is currently leading the postseason with 9. 8 free-throw attempts per game. ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams agrees with the sentiment that the Thunder employ this strategy so thoroughly that he can’t root for them to succeed.
Jay Williams says he can’t root for the Thunder because of all the foul baiting: “As a fan of the game, I just want to see the game respected. There are times where I watch OKC play, I don’t feel like they respect the process of the game. It’s too much foul baiting.
When you… pic. twitter. com/0dMJx6aKrg — NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 22, 2026 “When you watch OKC play, every single call, every single time they shoot, SGA is landing in somebody’s region, he’s falling down,” Williams said on Friday’s Get Up .
“And you’re just like, ‘how do I root for that? I see why I can root for [Victor Wembanyama]. I can’t root for that.