Selling fouls in the NBA has never been as controversial as it is today, with players like reigning back-to-back league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeming to have perfected the craft. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is facing mounting backlash for flopping to draw fouls and get easy points at the free-throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s rival in last year’s NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, weighed in on the controversy during Wednesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” making a troubling revelation.
Tyrese Haliburton Reveals Flopping Is Part of NBA Teams’ Training
ESPN’s Pat McAfee first asked Haliburton about his opinion on the growing frustration surrounding players engaging in “unethical hoops” by “fooling the referees” during this year’s playoffs, particularly Gilgeous-Alexander.
The two-time All-Star, recovering from a torn right Achilles sustained in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against OKC, admitted that exaggerating contact to draw a whistle is being instructed as part of most teams’ player development.
“It’s being taught. I don’t think it’s as much head coach teaching as much as it is like player development,” Haliburton said. “Even before you get to the NBA, it’s just something you like, kind of work on by nature.
“I think the best scorers are usually the guys who get to the free-throw line the most. So, it’s definitely something they work on, even in pickup, they’re working on how they can draw fouls, things like that. I think that’s a part of the game,” the 6-foot-5 playmaker added.
“The best scorers are usually the guys that get to the free throw line the most..
I do believe that we have the best officials in sports” ~ @hali #PrimetimeSports https://t.co/iypW3HLPvt pic.twitter.com/lax05b48Rp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 27, 2026
McAfee and his co-hosts were left in disbelief upon hearing Haliburton’s answer. Still, the floor general doubled down on his statement, noting that players are mostly “embellishing” contact rather than “falling over out of nowhere.”
Tyrese Haliburton Defends Under-Fire NBA Officials
Haliburton also came to the defense of NBA referees, who have endured relentless criticism for questionable calls and no-calls throughout the postseason, especially when Gilgeous-Alexander suits up.
The 2024 assists leader contended that the NBA has the “best officials in sports,” contrasting them to overseas referees in FIBA play.
Still, officiating complaints have become so rampant that NBA commissioner Adam Silver made a head-turning announcement on Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Silver told McAfee that the league plans to deploy an AI-automated camera system to review plays. The commissioner explained that these modern cameras will be positioned around the court to “take all of those so-called objective calls out of the hands of the referees.”
Adam Silver says the NBA will implement an AI automated system to review calls.
(via @patmcafeeshow) pic.twitter.com/NqyLxWnUbj
— ESPN (@espn) May 27, 2026
Silver also shared his view on flopping and assured McAfee that the NBA is working tirelessly to appease its viewers, with innovative technology at the forefront of those efforts.
