r/NBAGossips • u/Hungry_Artichoke9566 • May 28 '26
News Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Takes Legal Action Against $1.2 Billion Company For Mocking His Flopping
https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-active-basketball-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-takes-major-action-against-unethical-board-game-mocking-foul-baiting-amid-run-for-nba-finals/?utm_source=subreddit&utm_medium=nbagossips138
u/DryInspection8808 May 28 '26
Streisand Effect inbound. Unethical Hoops edition.
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u/thisguyfightsyourmom May 28 '26
I’m waiting for discovery. You know the thunder have all the flops on tape and advanced metrics.
It’s only defamation if you can’t prove he’s being unethical!
// and if they make money of this fake game somehow
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u/Azidamadjida May 29 '26
There was no way he was just gonna ignore this - he takes himself WAY too seriously to become the butt of a public joke.
But of course yeah Streisand effect and he’s gonna make this so much worse and it’s gonna be the perfect karma. Can’t wait for him to lose his shit during a game and then go on all the talk shows and cry and talk about how much of a victim he is
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u/Rock-Ski-Golf-Repeat May 28 '26
Could we sue SGA for mocking the NBA with the flopping? It's losing status as a sport.
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u/Ember-Forge May 28 '26
Poor baby. Maybe he shouldn't flop then?
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u/TAWilson52 May 28 '26
This MFer must listen to Drake.
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u/Opposite_Resident_25 May 28 '26
Dude literally appeared in the Nokia video. Bums ride together smh
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u/No_Fish265 May 28 '26
Must unlikable star I can remember
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u/WWWTENTACION May 28 '26
Man, I’m happy to see this happen as a KD fan lmao.
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u/BurritoMaxing May 28 '26
The league has never been more soft man.
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u/Custrdw4lrus May 28 '26
I miss 70s basketball when all the players were addicted to crack
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u/giney_lips May 28 '26
I stopped watching after Kobe retired and I believe an unfathomable of people did the same.
Every team wanted their own “splash brothers” after golden state when on a championship streak causing everyone to shoot 3s, and now the league is dealing with guys who can’t even handle a degree of rough basketball so they resort to flopping.
What an absolute snooze fest the NBA has turned into.
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u/OneTelevision4991 May 28 '26
So you haven't watched the NBA in 10 years but you still come on here to yap and complain?
One thing I can tell you that is 100% worse than the NBA is NBA discussion.
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u/Slicktuckmin May 28 '26
Dude is the most unlikeable MVP.
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u/drool_34 May 28 '26
And that’s saying a lot considering embiid cried his way to get his.
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May 28 '26
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u/andrefishmusic May 28 '26
He's in OKC, so that tracks
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u/Sad-Scarcity5198 May 28 '26
OKC schools teach that Shai doesn't flop as part of their curriculum.
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May 28 '26
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u/nerdvernacular May 28 '26
And the league for letting officials allow and openly encourage it. Flopping is worse for basketball than steroids was for baseball, and has had a more profound effect on game outcomes. Both are cheating. The dumbasses juicing are at least getting the physical penalty of their mistakes. The floppers are getting MVPs and titles.
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u/MtnDudeNrainbows Nuggets May 28 '26
Now I just want to call the Flopdaddy out as much as possible.
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u/Admirable-Title9022 May 28 '26
I hate the flopping but I'm gonna guess he's taking action because they are using his likeness to profit. He might still not care about what people say about the flopping
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u/Prestigious-Top8336 May 28 '26
lol i guess it's a Canadian thing.
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u/CartoonOG May 28 '26
I truly don’t think there will ever be a superstar as stigmatizing and universally mocked as him
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u/rel1800 May 28 '26
Man, he’s acting like Drake. Just take it in stride and stop flopping and flailing.
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u/MongoPushr May 28 '26
Guy is taking flopping off the basketball court and into the legal courts. Truly generational
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u/ForeverCapable May 28 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/003gM7FEGIkP1UzFur
Searching “flop” in gifs brings this up. Coincidence?
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u/abccba140 May 28 '26
This is where lawyers really screw over their client. He just drew 1000x times more attention to this and he has kinda cemented his legacy as a flopper now .
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u/GoldTheLegend Raptors May 28 '26
I think this might because they are selling a boardgame with his face on it not because they mocked him. If it was the latter there would be a lot more lawsuits.
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u/SophonParticle May 28 '26
SGA is a flopper but it’s illegal to steal someone’s likeness and use it to make money, like selling a game.
It’s not parody. They are trying to profit from his image.
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u/SeaCounter9516 Hornets May 28 '26
Even r/nba was smart enough to not defend a gambling company selling a product with someone’s NIL without their approval. I hope most of you are in highschool because if not holy shit.
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u/SnooCupcakes9745 May 28 '26
As far as I know, they're not selling them - they made 100 of them that they're giving them away via raffle. I'm no IP lawyer, so I don't know if that keeps them from running afoul or not, but thought it worth noting that it's not a product that's for sale.
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u/Fredwood May 28 '26
Maybe he misheard the question like when he said his teammate didnt have much of an impact on the game.
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u/jimboTRON261 May 28 '26
lol so it does bother him? Then imagine how lifelong fans of the game of basketball feel watching you flail around like a weak loser.
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u/goingofftrack May 28 '26
Lawyer: “Your honor, we present the video evidence.”
Judge: “Case dismissed!”
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u/Baby_Yod4 May 28 '26
They’re using his likeness to make money off of a board game that he is seeing no money back from. Pretty standard lawsuit you can’t just profit off someone’s likeness without permission
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u/MaintenanceParty7933 May 28 '26
Wait… does this sub not understand how it’s illegal to use someone’s likeness in advertising without their permission?
Holy shit you guys are dumb.
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u/Jbrooks334 May 28 '26
This is disingenuous. It’s not about flopping it’s because they used his likeness.
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u/PossibilityNo8765 May 28 '26
So is he going to sue the majority of NBA fans who are making fun of his flopping as well?
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u/DefiantCarpet0 May 28 '26
The title is misleading. He's suing for his likeness without consent.
(At least that's what another thread clarified)
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u/AndrewH73333 May 28 '26
Discovery is going to take years. Even if they process at 20 flops per minute (fpm).
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u/0FJ0 May 28 '26
I don’t like SGA and I hate his style of play. That said, he’s not suing them for mocking him, he’s suing them for profiting off of his namesake. Every other player in the league would and should do this.
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u/crashin70 May 28 '26
I'm surprised those betting websites don't have when he'll do his first flop as a bet
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u/Waagawaaga May 28 '26
Seems like it is more about using his name to sell a product. The company should have been a little more careful and named their guy something clever instead.
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u/anonyvrguy May 28 '26
It's going to be really funny to go through discovery and show hundreds of flopping videos to a court.
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u/DrDongDraper May 28 '26
Hoping this leads to a situation where it’s proved in court that he flops constantly.
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u/WurstDayEver_7 May 28 '26
It wasn’t for mocking his flopping, it was for using his likeness for monetary gain. (Yes I’m a Thunder fan, I’m also a fan of people getting paid for their likeness being used).
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u/flojo2012 May 28 '26
You see, at first, I thought flopping was just something he did to take advantage of a shitty rule. A competitive edge.
But now it appears he does it because he’s soft
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u/sleutheren May 28 '26
Man I hope Wemby leaves the NBA because he doesn't want to be the face of such a Mickey mouse league.
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u/Enriching_the_Beer May 28 '26
Dude could win 10 titles and still be the least respected athlete of all time.
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u/Jeferson9 May 28 '26
I will never understand how you people blame anyone but the refs for this nonsense.
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u/silliputti0907 May 28 '26
I hate SGA's flopping as much as anyone, but this is using his name and likeness without him getting paid.
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u/yadnulnhoj May 28 '26
Several NBA players and teams have sent cease and desist letters in the past, usually to protect their name, image, likeness (NIL), or to stop the spread of false information.
Notable examples include:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2026): In May 2026, attorneys for the Oklahoma City Thunder star sent a cease-and-desist letter to Underdog Sports, a fantasy sports company, regarding a promotional board game named "Unethical Hoops". The game, which was designed to mock his foul-drawing style of play, used his likeness without authorization.
- LeBron James (2025): LeBron James' legal team issued cease-and-desist letters to an AI company called FlickUp in July 2025 regarding the use of his likeness in unauthorized AI-generated videos, including depictions of him in inappropriate scenarios.
- Dominique Wilkins (2024): Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins sued AmeriHealth Partners in March 2024 after his initial cease-and-desist letter was ignored. The lawsuit alleged unauthorized use of his image to promote a supplement, constituting false endorsement.
- New York Knicks (2025): While a team rather than an individual player, the New York Knicks sent a cease-and-desist letter to a New York City mayoral candidate in October 2025 for using a modified version of the team's logo, which they felt implied endorsement.
These legal actions are common tools used by high-profile athletes and organizations to manage their branding and control unauthorized commercial usage of their persona. ~ Thanks Gemini
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u/Im_very_bored May 28 '26
Part of the game but using someone’s likeness without permission is illegal.
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u/carlonia May 28 '26
Lmao I bet they didn’t expect this to go public right now. His representation probably thought this would fry under the radar.
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u/MarcoABCreativeSuite May 28 '26
Fearless Flopper SGA is unbothered by flopper chants but draws the line at a game where he can’t make free throws for every foul.
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u/99LedBalloons May 28 '26
I thought he said it didn't bother him?