Chris Goulding is one of the greatest shooters this country has produced, but critics have been shooting from the hip over claims he is a flopper.

Andrew Bogut, South East Melbourne Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari and Illawarra Hawks coach Jason Tatum have all called out Goulding, 36, over his alleged tactics of exaggerating contact from opponents.

United gun Chris Goulding drives to the basket against Cairns’ Jonah Antonio on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

It’s too much of a stretch to say Goulding is a league villain, but his actions have certainly become a talking point, and left him battling claims he is sullying the reputation he built on three NBL championships and an Olympic medal with the Boomers.

There have been two major instances over the past fortnight, while – like many shooters in the NBL and in the NBA – Goulding can kick out his legs seeking a foul when shooting a jump shot. It’s a tactic that first gained prominence from Indiana Pacers’ great Reggie Miller and later Kobe Bryant, the NBA then launching a crackdown by calling offensive fouls.

“You have just got to be careful. You have got to stay away from his [Goulding’s] feet. He likes to kick out his feet, similar to [NBL great] Bryce Cotton. Bryce jumps forward and exaggerates it a bit more,” former NBL and NBA shooter Ryan Broekhoff said.

“These type of shooters, you just can’t go near their feet, stay vertical, let them get into their shot.”

Goulding, as technically proficient a shooter as the NBL........

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