It’s all fun and games until you get sent a legal notice. After getting relentlessly trolled for his playing style, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander called foul (pun intended) on someone else, almost trying to make money off it. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is taking legal action against a sports prediction market and fantasy sports company to protect his name, image, and likeness (NIL) amid his OKC team’s deep postseason push toward the NBA Finals.

According to The Athletic, Underdog is facing legal trouble after creating its own version of the board game Operation. They’ve called it ‘Unethical Hoops,’ and here’s how the game works: the buzzer goes off anytime SGA is touched! This satire gimmick came to light during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, with the reigning MVP’s close compatriot doing the promotion…

In a letter dated May 22, 2026, attorney Eric Fishman of the law firm ArentFox Schiff LLP, representing the Thunder star, 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 game featured a caricature of Shai, challenging players to extract the balls from designated areas without triggering a buzzer, which indicates a personal foul. Among the nine labels that can trigger a buzzer are the “Head Snap,” the “Lean In,” the “Don’t Reach,” and the “Leg Kick.” On Friday, Underdog announced it was giving away 100 free copies of the game, with a lucky fan also receiving $100 each time the player fell down on a shot attempt in real life.

Here’s how Underdog described the game on the Unethical Hoops website, which remains active as of writing. “Shai has made hoops all about foul baiting and now you’re stuck guarding him in Underdog’s new board game. Don’t get baited. Steal the ball without getting whistled.”

To make matters worse, they brought in the notorious Dillon Brooks, who introduced himself as the ‘villain’ before unveiling the game. The two Canadian basketball stars share a close bond outside the NBA (which might be why Brooks isn’t subject to SGA’s cease-and-desist), but that didn’t stop the Suns player from giving Gilgeous-Alexander a verbal jab in February.

“Officials got to explain themselves because it’s getting ridiculous when you can see it,” Brooks said about the flopping concerns. “It starts getting fiery. No control out there. Now they’re just whistling on one side… I’m on the court, I don’t care who it is. It can be anybody on the court. I’m going right at you.”

In return, the SGA didn’t hold back, saying, “I can’t control what Dillon or anybody else on the other side is gonna complain about, all I can do is try to go out there and win basketball games for my team.” The OKC star has also kept his communication very straightforward around every cheating allegation.

“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.”

It is important to note that the reigning MVP isn’t denying anything. He is just saying that the noise doesn’t affect him. Now, statistically, Gilgeous-Alexander has attempted 391 more free throws than the next-closest player across the last four years. In this postseason itself, SGA has made 120 free throws and 114 field goals!

Not too long ago, in Game 4 against the Spurs, Gilgeous-Alexander again faced heavy flak online for essentially manufacturing a foul out of thin air. De’Aaron Fox actually did a fine job of avoiding his body, but the Thunder star still went down, essentially turning a late-clock mid-ranger into two free throws. Fox couldn’t believe his luck, and even the announcers confirmed there was “not a lot there” during the replay.

But was the Underdog game’s fundamental goal to diss the OKC player?

Underdog had a clear objective behind releasing the SGA-related game

Michael Posner, head of executive development at Underdog, revealed that he has been hands-on with this project, and they found the San Antonio series to be the best time to release the game.

“It’s elevating the conversations that fans have that make things worth talking about,” said Posner. “We have sort of like a daily stand-up where we just reflect on the zeitgeist and what’s happening, and we ideate fun, clever ways to bring those stories to life and elevate them.”

This isn’t the first time the $1.225 billion company has tried to make trending topics on sports forums lighthearted and fun. In March, they were in the news for a painted mural featuring Kobe Bryant handing the torch to Bam Adebayo after the Miami star scored 83 points and surpassed the Black Mamba’s 81-point record. But it would be safe to say that Underdog’s marketing and production strategy has become much bolder ever since.

“We’ve been doing some smaller things just to see how to build this muscle, and this was sort of like a bigger stunt, if you will,” Posner said. “A lot went into it. We had to go and figure out how to manufacture a board game. We created a website. We made a commercial. We tied it into promos. And we were able to get in touch with Dillon Brooks, who is the consummate villain and I think is quite good at making things more fun.”

Within the broader basketball discussion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained unfazed by the off-court distraction. But this strategy is yielding positive results on the hardwood.

Just days after the cease-and-desist letter was issued, Shai delivered a commanding 32-point, nine-assist performance in Game 5 to power Oklahoma City to a crucial 127-114 victory over San Antonio, moving the Thunder within a single win of an NBA Finals berth!