“Michael Jordan inspired this drill”: Former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas reveals the drill he designed to emulate MJ in late-game situations

Gilbert Arenas recalled the drill he invented in order to learn how to contest shots like Bulls legend Michael Jordan in one-on-one situations.

Gilbert Arenas powered the Wizards for a solid 4 playoff-bound seasons during the mid-00s. At one point, he was in the conversation for most lethal scorer in the league. Him dropping 60 points on Kobe Bryant’s Lakers was a signal of his dominance and his ability to score at will.

It was a travesty that Arenas declined too soon with a set of behavioral and injury problems. Arenas looked on course to lead the Wizards through several deep playoff runs following his first couple of seasons. But that never came to fruition, as the Wizards remain the franchise with the longest drought of 50-win seasons.

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Agent Zero” grew up in an era that idolized Michael Jordan and wanted to emulate him. It was Jordan who turned the game around, allowing guards to be the dominant scorers through a mid-range game. The likes of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony are all products of his influence.

Gilbert Arenas recalls details of the drill he designed to emulate Michael Jordan

In an interview with Fubo Sports, Gilbert Arenas revealed how he trained to be like

“My one-on-one full-court drill, the drill came from Michael Jordan. The thought came from Michael Jordan. Everybody wanted to be that guy, 5..4… You know you wanted to be that guy who hit those shots.”

“And then one day I was like, ‘How do you train for that moment? How do you train for 5,4,3,2,1?’ So I came up with a drill and that’s what it’s called. 5,4,3,2,1.”

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“You’re playing full-court one-on-one and every time the ball changes direction, it’s 5,4,3,2,1. In full-court, it would be 7 seconds with no three-pointers. So you have to really play basketball. Even though its 5,4,3,2,1, when it gets to 2,1 you need to understand how to position yourself, to get space, to slow down and focus on that shot.”