Gilbert Arenas doesn’t like to mince his words, even if it lands him in trouble. Known to have zero filter and always speak his mind, Arenas recently revealed why he has been in Vince Carter’s crosshairs for some time now. During a recent appearance on DJ VLAD’s YouTube show, the former NBA star was asked to name his top pick for a player, who had the potential to achieve all-time greatness in the NBA, but never really fully utilized it. After throwing some shade at the entire league, Arenas picked Vince Carter.
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Responding to the question, the three-time All-Star declared that 90% of NBA players were born with a natural ability to play the game. But they manage to waste it for the most part by not working hard on their craft. When Vlad filtered it out and asked him to name just one such player, Arenas said, “Since he already hates me because I’ve already put it out there. I’ll just keep going, I’ll say Vince Carter.”
Agent Zero believes that the eight-time All-Star had the potential to become the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant of the league, but he never really approached his career with that goal in mind. The 42-year-old said that he wouldn’t go as far as saying that Carter didn’t work hard during his career, because he never shared a locker room with the latter.
However, Arenas did say that based on the things he saw from Carter on the court, including his movements, physique, physical attributes, and jumping ability, he thinks that the 47-year-old could have become a much better athlete. But he was just too lazy to put in the enormous amount of work required to walk with the GOATs. Arenas said, “I think I’ll call him lazy, because it’s my way of saying he was too nice.”
It must be confusing for Carter to understand what Arenas truly means by this. Because it sounds like either a full-fledged insult or a back handed compliment, or both at the same time. However, this is not the first time that the former Wizards star has said something like this about Carter. On several occasions in the past, Arenas has claimed that if he had worked harder on his craft, Carter would’ve been one of the top 3 players of all time.
Gilbert Arenas’ ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment
Every athlete, regardless of their stature and accomplishments, has had their ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. These moment often includes getting hazed by a veteran of the game or witnessing a crazy basketball play that makes a rookie aware of the toughness of the league. For Arenas, the welcome came from Carter.
As a youngster entering the league, Arenas was high on confidence. The former NBA star recalled facing Carter in his first game and witnessing a post spin move from the veteran. He got so hyped about Carter’s move that Arenas almost started celebrating it and forgot that he was sitting on the opposition bench. He said, “I can’t even play in this league, bruh.” Arenas’ journey from being a fanboy to Carter’s biggest critic is hilarious. But it does provide a great point of discussion in the hoop community.
