SUMMARY
- Gilbert Arenas rejected Steph Curry as a generational talent and claims he isn't as dominant as Allen Iverson was during the 2000s.
- Stephen A. Smith slams Arenas over his absurd take on Curry.
Steph Curry needs no introduction and that speaks about the volume of impact he’s on basketball and the world. Recently, he’s been getting a hefty sum of criticism directed towards him from a former NBA player named Gilbert Arenas. The 42-year-old formerly played for the Washington Wizards and had a couple of ups and downs. But he was never as impactful as Curry.
Stephen Curry is an all-time great finals performer 🐐 pic.twitter.com/fK0s0YBheZ
— ³⁰ (@StephMuse_) June 5, 2024
But through 15 seasons, Curry has been the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors clan. He managed to win two consecutive MVPs, 4x NBA Championships, and ten All-Star selections. However, that’s besides the fact as Curry’s incredible scoring and shooting ability inspired the league into what it is today. He is the greatest shooter of all time and one of the greatest ever to play the sport.
Gilbert Arenas believes Klay Thompson would’ve averaged higher numbers without Steph Curry
On a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, the former Wizards star believes Steph Curry isn’t as dominant as Allen Iverson was during the late 90s and early 2000s. Arenas stated that Iverson used to be a bigger threat on the floor than Curry, He said, “The thing about Steph is, [he] wasn’t fast like Allen Iverson. You can switch onto him and he’s going to try to bop you. Allen Iverson? You had to double or triple team.”
“You don’t give a f**k who you were. You’re over there, cool. We’re [the defenders] here [Arenas meant to say nobody would’ve bothered guarding Steph as much as Iverson]. If Klay was on with Allen Iverson, [he] would average 30. Because we did not give two sh*ts about Klay at that point. Because the dude [Iverson] was so dominant,” Arenas concluded.
Gilbert Arenas says Steph Curry never received the amount of attention from opposing defenses that Allen Iverson did, and says Klay Thompson would’ve averaged 30 points per game playing next to Allen Iverson
(🎥 @GilsArenaShow / h/t @KevonLooneyMuse) pic.twitter.com/cNZfXYqjHF
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 5, 2024
These comments were exactly when Arenas found himself criticizing Steph Curry’s GOAT case. While comparing the point guard to athletes like Magic Johnson, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama, Arenas claimed that Curry (and even Nikola Jokic) were just great basketball players but not a “generational talent”.
Stephen A. Smith goes off on Gilbert Arenas over his horrendous take
Not only did Gilbert Arenas’ comments on Steph Curry trigger a massive chunk of basketball fans around the world, but it also caught the attention of world-renowned analyst and sports journalist, Stephen A. Smith. The ESPN analyst slammed Arenas for his lack of appreciation and recognition of Curry’s achievements over the years.
He said, “I think he lost his damn mind on this one. When have you seen a shooter like Steph Curry in our lifetime? I’ve been on Earth for 56 years…. when have you seen somebody like Curry?… Steph Curry is the greatest shooter God has ever created… What we talkin’ about Gilbert Arenas?” This isn’t the only time Arenas has attacked Curry. Over a year ago, the retired athlete claimed he would’ve been better than Curry at the age of 25 had injuries not kept him away from the sports.