“Could’ve Been LaMelo Ball”: Gilbert Arenas Calls Out LeBron James and Anthony Edwards’ Late Scratches from ASG

Continuing the unfortunate trend, this year’s All-Star main event was disappointing as well. Before the games started, fans were informed that Anthony Edwards and LeBron James wouldn’t participate tonight. It was a selfish move from the athletes, which was called out by Gilbert Arenas during his Playback livestream.

Arenas said that Ant must’ve been aware of his situation and he must’ve known that he wouldn’t be able to play. He should have backed out earlier so that someone else could have taken his spot on the roster. Arenas said, “If he knew he wasn’t gonna play, he should have just let everybody know, so they could’ve replaced him with someone.”

Gil said the same thing about LeBron as well, who also backed out last minute due to an ankle injury. No one was aware of his injury until he showed up to the press conference and told the media that he wouldn’t put on the jersey tonight. Arenas said, “That could’ve been LaMelo Ball and somebody else that felt they got to sit out.”

LeBron’s decision to not reveal his status until the last minute can’t be justified. Even if he backed out a day before, his All-Star status would’ve remained intact. He also showed up to the photoshoot in regular clothes which further infuriated fans. What LeBron did is being seen as a sign of disrespect and also being blatantly inconsiderate.

Draymond Green also talked about LBJ’s decision on air. He said, “I think [LeBron James] coulda helped somebody else out and said this earlier.”

Similar things were said by other panelists on the show. Vince Carter talked about how there were several players who deserved a spot on the roster and would’ve taken it seriously.

Jalen Rose also criticized LeBron for the same reason.

Ant-Man might not be getting thrashed like LeBron on the internet, but his backing out is also being frowned upon. To make matters worse, there was no clear reason provided as to why he couldn’t play tonight.

Initially, it was said to be a groin injury that kept Edwards away. However, Marc Spears later reported that Ant had been ruled out due to a cold. It could be either one of those reasons or a combination of both, regardless, not informing about one’s unavailability in due time shows that the two players were only thinking about themselves and not the game, their teammates, or even the fans.