Gilbert Arenas is one of the harshest critics of Doc Rivers on the Internet right now. The former NBA star often goes over the line while discussing the veteran coach’s failures in the league, which has prompted people to wonder if there’s any underlying reason behind it.
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Well, it turns out there is.
Arenas revealed on Gil’s Arena that being snubbed by Rivers for the 2006 NBA All-Star game made him bitter and spiteful against the Milwaukee Bucks head coach. The 42-year-old added passionately that he’ll continue to hold the snub against him.
The three-time All-Star added, “Yeah, he can retire just like the other ones.”
Arenas was on the best scoring run of his career during the 2005-06 season, averaging 29.3 points, 6.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 80 games, numbers that put him on track to make his second consecutive All-Star appearance. However, not getting Rivers’ vote hurt him.
Arenas even tried to bribe the veteran coach by sending gifts, “Forgive? That I’m the third-leading scorer and I sent him a fruit basket. He’s talking edible raisins, I did my part, I used my credit card.”
The former NBA star is positive that he will never not be bitter about it.
The real reason Gil hates on Doc Rivers 😅 pic.twitter.com/2zymRNZWHo
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) November 17, 2024
On his podcast, he has questioned Rivers’ appointments as coach over the years. He said, “When you’re hiring a coach and you’re looking at their resume, the f**k you’re looking at?”
He has outlined how Rivers has had some of the all-time greats and Hall of Famers on his teams and he has still failed to win championships. The one ring he won was with a team that had Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
Milwaukee’s poor form this season has only emboldened Arenas’ criticism against Rivers. But there’s more to the Rivers-Arenas story.
Doc Rivers’ snub turned Gilbert Arenas into the East Coast Assassin
Almost two decades later, after all the bashing and criticism, Arenas still has some things to get off his chest. The former NBA star addressed the All-Star snub issue in detail during his appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast last year.
He said, “There’s people in there, like Paul Pierce made, his team was 13th. Chris Bosh’s team was in last place; he made it. ‘What the fu*k are y’all talking about winning?’ It was that Detroit push. So, that’s when I knew, when you’re voting, they were slotting it. It ain’t about who’s getting the vote.”
“So I was like, ‘All right. All the coaches that didn’t vote for me, I’m killing y’all. East Coast assassin. I’m tearing y’all.’ And I just went verbally with it.”
Arenas had an issue, and still has one, with the way players were selected. Players from bottom-ranked teams made the cut while he wasn’t considered. He ended up making his second All-Star appearance as a replacement for Jermaine O’Neal who got injured.
