“Nikola Jokic Is Cold but…”: Trevor Ariza’s ‘Best 2nd Round Player’ Choice Had Shannon Sharpe Shook, Gilbert Arenas Reacts

Former Ace NBA defender Trevor Ariza had an hour-and-a-half-long conversation with Shannon Sharpe recently on the latter’s podcast, CLUB SHAY SHAY. During the conversation, the duo touched on various topics revolving around the league and the 2023-24 season. Of course, the usual GOAT debate came up along with other sundry discussions, like who is a better shooter between Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard.

The conversation took an interesting turn when Shannon Sharpe asked the 2009 champion his opinion on who is the best second-round pick of all time. This subject must have hit close to home for Ariza who was a second-round pick himself in 2004, after the New York Knicks drafted him as the 43rd overall pick.

Addressing the question, Ariza instantly replied, “For me, Gilbert [Arenas].” This answer surprised Sharpe, who reacted by asking, “Are you sure?” He reminded the former Lakers player of other great 2nd round picks who have accomplished far greater things in the NBA. The ESPN host mentioned the reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic.

After hearing Sharpe’s counter, Ariza still decided to stick to his initial answer. “Jokic is cold but…,” he said as both of them started laughing. ”I won’t change, I am gonna go with Gilbert. Gilbert is sick. He just ain’t win nothing,” Ariza added.

A flabbergasted Sharpe then went on to name Manu Ginobili, Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green, and Marc Gasol, as other second-round greats who can give Arenas a run for his money. He further stated, “I am not sure. Gil is my guy but he is probably third or fourth on this list.”

Sharpe kept pressing Ariza to change his stance. However, the former NBA star didn’t budge throughout the exchange. Of course, when this conversation reached Gilbert Arenas, he reacted in his typical manner.

Shannon Sharpe’s insistence draws a hilarious reaction from Gilbert Arenas

The way the First Take co-host tried to talk Ariza into changing his stance surely caught Arenas’ attention. His dynamic personality never holds back on occasions like these. The three-time All-Star posted a snippet from his show “Gil’s Arena” on X to showcase his thoughts on the matter.

The conversation drew strong reactions from fans. A fan took exception to Ariza’s take and understood Sharpe’s insistence. The user questioned NBA players’ intelligence as a whole and stated, “NBA players never beating the allegations that they don’t know ball.” Meanwhile, another fan thought that Ariza was on to something with his pick, ”Gilbert Arenas is VERY underrated. He would have flourished in this era of basketball.”

Meanwhile, a fan wished that Sharpe would show up on Arenas’ show, expecting a strong combo. Invoking the famous GOAT debate, the user stated, ”Unc and skip in an episode pls just talk about lebron jordan debate hahaha.”