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Welcome back to On The Ball with Ric Bucher on the United Wecast Network.
In this episode, Ric dives deep into why calling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a “free-throw merchant” is one of the dumbest narratives in the league right now — and how it’s overshadowing a potentially historic season from both SGA and the 23–1 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ric also touches on his upcoming third book, “The Value of Being Coachable: The Secret to How Legendary Performers Reach Their Highest Potential So That You Can Reach Yours”, coming in May.
00:30 – Ric’s intro: FS1, radio, new book, where to follow
01:20 – Setting the table: Why OKC’s 23–1 start matters
03:00 – SGA vs. Jokic: The MVP race nobody is talking about enough
05:00 – Why “free-throw merchant” criticisms of SGA miss the point
07:00 – Historical context: Harden, Embiid, KD, Barkley, Dantley, MJ
09:30 – MJ vs. LeBron discussion: What “best player alive” really looked like
12:00 – The art of drawing fouls: Why it *is* a superstar skill
14:00 – How SGA earns calls vs. Luka’s style and reaction to refs
16:00 – Why OKC’s organization + SGA’s leadership make him special
18:00 – Playoff proof: SGA’s FT attempts *increasing* under postseason physicality
20:00 – The real reason for the SGA hate: jealousy & fan-base resentment
22:00 – Bottom line: SGA as the league’s most complete two-way guard
23:30 – Closing thoughts + upcoming Finding The Seams & Fullcourt Passport
Follow Ric everywhere: @RicBucher on X, Instagram, Threads & Bluesky.
📌#OnTheBall #RicBucher #ShaiGilgeousAlexander #SGA #OKCThunder #OklahomaCityThunder #NikolaJokic #CadeCunningham #NBA #NBAMVP #JordanVsLeBron #FreeThrowMerchant #NBAHistory #NBAPodcast #BasketballAnalysis #AdamSilver #NBARefs
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bucher-and-friends.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
By Ric Bucher, NBA insider and Fox Sports NBA analyst4.4
329329 ratings
Welcome back to On The Ball with Ric Bucher on the United Wecast Network.
In this episode, Ric dives deep into why calling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a “free-throw merchant” is one of the dumbest narratives in the league right now — and how it’s overshadowing a potentially historic season from both SGA and the 23–1 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ric also touches on his upcoming third book, “The Value of Being Coachable: The Secret to How Legendary Performers Reach Their Highest Potential So That You Can Reach Yours”, coming in May.
00:30 – Ric’s intro: FS1, radio, new book, where to follow
01:20 – Setting the table: Why OKC’s 23–1 start matters
03:00 – SGA vs. Jokic: The MVP race nobody is talking about enough
05:00 – Why “free-throw merchant” criticisms of SGA miss the point
07:00 – Historical context: Harden, Embiid, KD, Barkley, Dantley, MJ
09:30 – MJ vs. LeBron discussion: What “best player alive” really looked like
12:00 – The art of drawing fouls: Why it *is* a superstar skill
14:00 – How SGA earns calls vs. Luka’s style and reaction to refs
16:00 – Why OKC’s organization + SGA’s leadership make him special
18:00 – Playoff proof: SGA’s FT attempts *increasing* under postseason physicality
20:00 – The real reason for the SGA hate: jealousy & fan-base resentment
22:00 – Bottom line: SGA as the league’s most complete two-way guard
23:30 – Closing thoughts + upcoming Finding The Seams & Fullcourt Passport
Follow Ric everywhere: @RicBucher on X, Instagram, Threads & Bluesky.
📌#OnTheBall #RicBucher #ShaiGilgeousAlexander #SGA #OKCThunder #OklahomaCityThunder #NikolaJokic #CadeCunningham #NBA #NBAMVP #JordanVsLeBron #FreeThrowMerchant #NBAHistory #NBAPodcast #BasketballAnalysis #AdamSilver #NBARefs
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bucher-and-friends.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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