SUMMARY
- Gilbert Arenas finds it odd that Michael Jordan was able to perform for 82 games a season.
- Jordan had multiple seasons with 82 games played in addition to playoff matchups.
Sometimes, it is impossible to understand how NBA stars find the ability to endure pain. Michael Jordan was one such player who could take damage like the true champ he was while giving his opponents reasons to crib about. Jordan came from an era of basketball that allowed a lot of physicality. These days, we see legends often claim that the league has gone soft. But this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Watching these highlights is absolutely incredible. LeBron James has been elite in the clutch. pic.twitter.com/MixRT8RVoz
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) January 28, 2024
Players still take a lot of damage on the floor, except these days, some rules protect athletes from getting seriously hurt. This has also given athletes a chance to play for multiple seasons. For example, LeBron James is currently in his 21st season. It doesn’t seem like age has caught up to him as he averages 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. James still works around every aspect of the game which is quite astonishing.
Gilbert Arenas backs his claims against Michael Jordan with stats
Gilbert Arenas recently threw Michael Jordan under the bus with some wild claims. Jordan was one of the top performers in the league during 80s and 90s. Arenas claims it was quite unusual that players of Jordan’s time were more active on the floor than players of today. Even LeBron barely averages 60 to 65 games per season despite being in perfect shape.
He said, “We played three rounds of 18 holes of golf in the day and then Jordan came out and gave us 5. I’m tired as hell but Jordan wasn’t… There are six tests now, there was one test back then… If you just wanna gonna go there, there was a lot of players playing 82 games period.” His outrageous claims suggest that most NBA players including MJ weren’t clean during the 80s and 90s. Players indeed used to appear for 82 games much more often than now.
Michael Jordan’s former teammate defends against Gilbert Arenas’ allegations
Amidst the allegations, Michael Jordan received backup from a former teammate of the Washington Wizards. Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls throughout his career, except when he played his final two seasons. Kwame Brown had just entered the league when MJ joined the Wizards in 2001. He claimed that Arenas’ accusations were completely false.
“I can say 100% that’s cap. MJ wasn’t on anything. At 38, at 39, [or] 40 years old, MJ wasn’t outrunning any other young guys. MJ wasn’t coming down the lane tomahawk-dunking on anybody. He was very old,” Brown stated. This was a slight dig at LeBron James, who still manages to outclass younger players on the floor. The Los Angeles Lakers player is currently 39 years old.