LeBron James continues to defy time as he’s still playing dominant basketball in the 22nd season of his career. Gilbert Arenas tried to deconstruct James’ game to underline how the four-time NBA Champion has evaded his decline in form with age.
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He pointed out that the only key factor the 39-year-old uses to edge out his younger opponents is using their youth against them.
“He’s 40. I mean, I’m he still makes it look like it’s easy… He’s just smarter now,” Arenas said on his podcast.
James is often lauded for his physicality. But it is safe to say that the 6ft 9” forward has witnessed a significant dip in his physical prowess over the past few years. Arenas believes that the King is using other “old man tactics” that Michael Jordan deployed when he was 40 to continue being an asset on the team.
“MJ, when he was on the Wizards, he averaged 20. A dude who couldn’t jump really no more, but he’s still getting his shot off because he knows that, ‘I’m Michael Jordan, you’re gonna jump, you’re gonna try to do all this extra stuff, and I’m gonna just use your youth against you’” Arenas claimed.
“These 20-23 year olds should be embarrassed.”
The Arena on LeBron James still cooking the younger generation at 40-years old. pic.twitter.com/AVMivYZynI
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) October 28, 2024
Jordan, during his stint with the Washington Wizards, wasn’t as explosive as his former self. He also didn’t attack the rim through traffic as much as he did during his younger days. But he was still the best offensive player on the Wizards due to his high basketball IQ plays, involving simple mid-range jumpers, deceptive pumpfakes, and easy cuts to the basket.
LeBron has similarly found other ways to be effective. He’s reduced the amount of drive-ins, allowing him to reduce the chances of suffering injuries. Instead, he is now often seen settling for long-range shots. Furthermore, LBJ has also taken on the primary role of being a playmaker, contributing to the offense as a distributor.
Despite implying that Bron has taken a page out of MJ’s book, Agent Zero recently claimed that the latter was only relevant in today’s age due to the Lakers’ superstar.
James is keeping Jordan relevant?
Gilbert Arenas’ claim that LeBron James plays a huge role in Michael Jordan’s relevance in the current era might seem to be an incendiary take. But Agent Zero provided his justification for the theory. Detractors of James bring His Airness up to prove that the former isn’t the undisputed GOAT.
“You take away all the n***as that’s over 60 years old speaking on TV, they would never bring up Michael Jordan because he is not real today. He’s real like we know who he is, but the only people who bring him up is when LeBron James’ name gets (mentioned). That’s the only reason Michael Jordan’s relevant,” Arenas said on Dwight Howard’s podcast.
Arenas is trying to justify LBJ’s greatness and is not wrong in doing so. However, claiming that Jordan is irrelevant today is not entirely true. MJ is still lauded for his greatness not just as a basketball player, but as one of the most decorated athletes across all sports.
Other players in the league also constantly tip their hat to the Bulls legend for having a huge impact on the game as well as their lives.
