Gilbert Arenas Dubs Himself as the ‘OG LeBron James Hater,’ Brings Up Crybaby James T-Shirts

Gilbert Arenas has never been one to hold back, especially when it comes to NBA debates. The former All-Star has built a reputation for his unfiltered takes, but now he’s claiming a title of his own: the ‘OG LeBron James hater.’

Gil and James have had some interesting on-court battles, but Arenas believes he has taken lethal shots at LBJ back in the day and deserves to be in this conversation as well. On an episode of Gil’s Arena, Agent Zero talked about merchandise he released to spite James.

Arenas recalled the Papa John’s ‘Crybaby James’ t-shirt that he distributed during the playoffs. Although Gil was not playing, he still wanted LBJ to feel the heat. The decision to launch t-shirts was a hit and was widely covered by the media. It was also noticed by LBJ. More importantly, Arenas believes that it was the first time when LBJ was on the receiving end of criticism and trolling.

He said, “It was a great idea because he was shocked. It was the first negative thing that ever was said about him.” While the merch decision might’ve been a hit back in the day, Gil’s decision to refresh his panel’s memories with the retelling of the story turned out to be a disaster. He was immediately questioned by his co-hosts.

Gil is the OG LeBron hater ☠️😆 pic.twitter.com/Zobpj8cNYF

— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) March 9, 2025

In the last few years, Gil has taken quite the 180 as he repeatedly defended LeBron from the criticism he faces from the media and hoop fans. So, claiming the ‘OG LeBron hater’ is a confusing choice. But it also shows that while he had no problem going against LBJ as his competitor, he now understands that the 40-year-old is often unnecessarily criticized.

The LeBron James hate comes off as weird to Gilbert Arenas

There are millions of fans around the world who defend LeBron on public platforms on a daily basis. But there seem to be just as many who have a bone to pick with him and can pounce on any opportunity to tear him down. Amidst an unprecedented hate train, Arenas recently had something to get off his chest.

The former NBA star recently talked about how LBJ is the most hated player, despite being one of the top 10 athletes to ever grace basketball. He said, “So you’re telling me in your favorites, you can say something good about 1, 2, 3, 4, let’s say LeBron’s 5, you talk s*** about 5, then talk great about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10? That’s weird as f***!”

But to say that other greats of the game weren’t or aren’t criticized would be a lie. Every legend of the game has gone through the media scrutiny. What makes LeBron’s case more visible is the fact that he has been playing for over two decades and currently, we’re in the most media/social media dominant phase ever.