Nico Iamaleava takes a cheeky dig at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul drama

Former Tennessee Volunteers and current UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava has taken time away from preparing to lead his new team to comment on the current NBA Conference finals.

On Friday, Iamaleava posted a picture of his screen while playing an NBA video game. On it was Oklahoma City Thunder star (and recent NBA MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and it was accompanied by the following caption:

"Like its bad even in 2K"

Picture Source: Instagram

This caption relates to a growing issue that some people have with the way that Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing recently. In Game One of the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in which OKC comfortably won, SGA made some questionable decisions that went his way.

During the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander drove into a cluster of Timberwolves players before tripping and falling. The foul was called against Minnesota, awarding him a free throw.

However, a later review showed that he had tripped over his own feet. But his actions were enough to get a penalty and subsequently increased his team's lead with a free throw.

This happened numerous times during the game, leading ESPN commentator Doris Burke to say this about him:

" There’s a reason NBA Twitter likes to call him ‘The Free Throw Merchant,’”

SGA has demonstrated his talent this season, but plays like this hurt his reputation and could tarnish an otherwise strong campaign.

Additionally, when Nico Iamaleava, a player who has recently caused a lot of drama due to his actions, calls you out, it may be time for a change.

Has Nico Iamaleava made the right move?

Nico Iamaleava will be playing on a new team for the 2025 season after moving from the Tennessee Volunteers to the UCLA Bruins. For many, this may be a step in the wrong direction for Iamaleava.

Bill Blender (The Sporting News) said this about the quarterback this week:

"Iamaleava will arguably be the most-scrutinized QB in 2025...UCLA is a downgrade from a football perspective compared to Tennessee, so he has a big adjustment to make going from Rocky Top to Westwood."

Due to all of the attention he received over his move out of Tennessee (which was due to a NIL deal dispute), the eyes of the college football world are going to be on him.

Iamaleava is going to have to prove that he deserves the money he thinks he does, and lead the Bruins (who have struggled recently) to success if this move is going to pay off.