Modern basketball fans know Gilbert Arenas more for his bold takes than his stellar play during his NBA career. He set the internet into a frenzy when he called Kobe Bryant a sidekick to Shaquille O’Neal during the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty in the early 2000s. Despite his criticism, the former Washington Wizards star doubled down on his belief. He went a step further to provide more context to support his point.
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Arenas took to the Gil’s Arena show to share his bold take. His panelists didn’t seem to agree with him, but that didn’t change his opinion. He said,
“Three of his championships [Kobe] was the sidekick. Shaq was the dominant force… You’re not winning without a perfect number two. But don’t be mad that your star is a perfect number two.”
"3 of his championships [Kobe] was the sidekick… Shaq was the dominant force."
Is Gil trippin' for saying Kobe was Robin to Shaq's Batman during the Lakers dynasty 🤔 pic.twitter.com/nhCkdJRClE
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 18, 2024
The 3x All-Star’s comments weren’t to diminish Bryant’s contributions. He intended to provide perspective on the dynamic between the elite guard and the big man. At the time of O’Neal’s arrival in Los Angeles, he was undoubtedly the better player of the two. He had already been a multiple-time All-Star becoming one of the best players in the league. O’Neal also went on to win his only MVP award with the Lakers.
Arenas used the Chicago Bulls dynasty as an example to defend himself. He brought up the dynamic between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Regardless of how many points Pippen scored, Jordan was always the alpha on that team. During Jordan’s first retirement, the Bulls gave Pippen the keys to the team. However, they weren’t able to get over the hump. The same happened to Bryant.
Once the Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant became the Batman of the team. However, he couldn’t win another championship by himself. It wasn’t until he got Pau Gasol as a teammate, that he won back-to-back championship. According to Arenas, “That was [Kobe’s] perfect number two.”
Every NBA superstar needs a sidekick
Every successful NBA team needs to pair their superstar with the perfect sidekick. The biggest superstars in NBA history have needed a sidekick to help them win a championship.
The most prominent example is throughout LeBron James’ career. In each of his four championships, the team surrounded him with a sidekick. With the Heat he had Dwyane Wade, with the Cleveland Cavaliers it was Kyrie Irving, and currently, with the Lakers, it’s Anthony Davis.
In addition, Kevin Durant had to join Stephen Curry to make his championship dreams a reality. The defending 2024 champions Celtics had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. As mentioned earlier, Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Although many give Dirk Nowitzki the credit for the Mavericks’ championship, Jason Terry was the perfect second option, but he never got the recognition he deserved because he never made an All-Star team.
Arenas’ point has validity as each championship team features a sidekick. Some sidekicks are better than others, which is typically the deciding factor on what elevates a team into a title contender.
