In a recent interview, Scottie Pippen made waves with his comments on the GOAT debate. The Chicago Bulls legend argued that he was more deserving of a spot in the conversation because he had achieved more team success than LeBron James. Naturally, Gilbert Arenas disagreed and had some choice words for the 6x champion.
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Agent Zero discussed Pippen’s hot take on the recent episode of ‘Gil’s Arena’ and broke down why he doesn’t agree with Scottie’s train of thought.
“If you want to know who’s the better player, just say who’s the better player,” Arenas argued. “Who had more team success? Obviously the person with six rings. If you ask Robert Horry who had more team success, you or Michael Jordan, he’s going to say him ’cause he got seven rings.”
Hibachi believed that Pippen was purposefully framing his question around team success to distort the conversation. After all, Scottie won his championships as the team’s second option. Comparing his legacy to LeBron, whose role was more akin to Jordan’s, was a dishonest approach according to Arenas.
“He has no accolades as the number one option,” the former Wizards guard stated. “He has no rings, he has no nothing else… Number one option has different responsibilities. Scottie is a glorified second option.”
Who are you building a team around 🤔 pic.twitter.com/PmalPrquqS
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 23, 2025
Arenas wasn’t the only one left confused by Pippen’s take. After all, the seven-time All-Star had previously given LeBron the nod over his former running mate, MJ. But a decade later, he changed the criteria for his GOAT debate and handed the advantage to Magic Johnson.
According to Scottie, Magic’s style of play led to both individual and team success, highlighting him as the ideal player to build around. And his respect for Johnson certainly resonated through his own game. Pippen is credited as the pioneer of the “point forward” position, which placed an emphasis on ball rotation as a member of the frontcourt. James’ game bears a lot of resemblance to Pippen’s.
However, putting himself in a comparison with LeBron was bound to earn him the ire of his supporters. Especially Agent Zero.
Gilbert Arenas puts Bron over Michael Jordan too
The three-time All-Star has long been a vocal proponent of the King. But as James’ career slowly winds down, Arenas has increased his advocation, urging fans and the media to appreciate the greatness while they can.
He made his plea again earlier this month after LeBron broke Jordan’s record for the most 30-point games in an NBA career. Notably, the four-time champion did it mere weeks after his 40th birthday, spurring a conversation on ‘Gil’s Arena’ about the greatest veterans in league history.
“The best 40-year-old that played was LeBron. The second best 40-year-old was Michael Jordan,” Agent Zero professed on his podcast. However, Arenas also took the opportunity to point out how James is facing different expectations later in his career than Jordan did.
“They didn’t expect anything from MJ, they just was so happy to see a 40-year-old go out there, average 20. Why is they putting so much effort on trying to tear LeBron down for just trying to play at 40? Like, we’re pretending that he’s 20…Like, ‘He’s expected to win a championship’, he’s 40!”
Frustrating as it is for Arenas, this might just be the cost of greatness. LeBron has defied expectations about his longevity for so long that even in year 22, he is expected to compete. And he’s doing just that. 27-year-old Scottie Pippen averaged 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists without Michael Jordan in 1993-94. 40-year-old King James is averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 9 assists so far this season.
