Gilbert Arenas has been one of LeBron James’ most vocal supporters in the GOAT debate in recent years. The former NBA star has picked James over several other all-time greats, including Kobe Bryant. The three-time All-Star may have to reconsider his loyalties after being flamed by Skap Attack during a GOAT debate on a group stream.
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The YouTuber brought up Gil’s argument that for a player to be in the GOAT debate, they must dominate on both sides of the ball. Skap Attack turned this perspective around on Arenas, who had used the argument to claim that LeBron was a better player than Kobe. “Kobe Bryant is one of three players in NBA history to make 10 All-NBA First Teams and 10 All-NBA Defensive Teams. Him, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that’s it,” the longtime creator said.
Kwame Brown, who reacted to the stream for his own YouTube video, highlighted Skap Attack’s arguments to point out the flaws in Arenas’ argument. The 42-year-old continued to criticize his former teammate for constantly undermining the legacy of the man he considers his favorite player.
“[Arenas] claims Kobe is still his favorite player, but I never seen somebody that continuously puts his favorite player behind somebody else,” Brown added.
The discussion then shifted back to LeBron versus Kobe, where Skap Attack questioned if James had ever taken a team with as little help as Bryant to an NBA championship. To make the case for Kobe, the creator mentioned how Pau Gasol is not a Top 75 player, but Kobe still won two Championships with him as his running mate. On the other hand, LBJ has never shown such potential.
Once the YouTuber continued to blast Arenas with the Black Mamba’s laundry list of accolades, Gil shifted back to the longevity discussion. This prompted Brown to once again pause the video to underline how Arenas constantly shifts the goal posts based on if he’s winning the debate or not.
The former first overall pick explained how LeBron can’t be the GOAT because he “doesn’t play defense”, while also claiming that James’ longevity pales compared to MJ, who was “playing all 82 games” while LeBron “plays 60 [per season] and load manages.” The 12-year veteran put the last nail on the coffin, adding, “LeBron is literally still chasing MJ’s stats, except for the most overall points [even though he has played nine more seasons].”
While an argument can be made that Kobe was a more consistent two-way presence than LeBron, Brown’s claims disparaging the 40-year-old are mostly exaggeration. James has notched six All-Defensive teams throughout his career, and although he’s notably slowed down at that end as time has gone on, LeBron was once one of league’s most feared defenders.
Brown’s insistence that LeBron is always resting is also a sign of recency bias, as he played less than 70 games just twice in his first 15 years in the league. At this point in his legendary career, tearing down LBJ’s on-court greatness just seems to be a bellow the belt attack.
