Gilbert Arenas reaffirms controversial take on Steph Curry with his top 5 'generational talents' list - "I can't teach what you have"
Gilbert Arenas doubled down on his controversial comments about Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. The former Washington Wizards star has a unique yet controversial opinion on Curry and he's not afraid to defend it against anybody.
At the end of May, Arenas made a bold claim about Curry, saying he isn't a generational talent since he doesn't have the physical traits that made other players succeed. Arenas believes Curry not having these advantages rules him out for the 'generational talent' conversation.
“Steph [Curry] is not a generational talent. … Wemby [Wembanyama] is a generational person. That is a generational talent. Generational means you can’t mimic it.
"Can you mimic Magic Johnson, a 6’9” guard with a vision? No! You can’t mimic Shaquille O’Neal’s body. You can’t mimic f**king LeBron James. You can’t mimic Wemby.”
On Wednesday's episode of the Pat Beverley podcast, Arenas was tasked to build a starting five generational players, picking seven NBA stars and snubbing Steph Curry.
"Wilt, you got Magic, you got Jordan, Shaq, LeBron, Wemby, KD," Arenas said. "I know Zion and Ja are supposed to be generational."
Arenas explains that there's a difference between generational talents and hard workers, mentioning some examples like Venus Williams, and Tom Brady, who are hard workers compared to Tiger Woods, Bo Jackson or Cam Newton, athletes with a unique physique that took advantage of it.
"They might not all panned out but they have the best advantage. Vince Carter, you have the best advantage. I can't teach what you have," Arenas added.
When talking about generational talent or performances, it's too hard not to mention Steph Curry. The point guard has become a legend of the game thanks to his 3-point shooting, changing the way the game is played and the entire NBA while winning four championships.
Arenas doesn't agree with that criteria, but it seems like he's alone on that island.
Stephen A. Smith calls out Gilbert Arenas over Steph Curry comments
Before he doubled down on his Steph Curry takes, Gilbert Arenas was on the receiving end of criticism from Stephen A. Smith. The veteran analyst didn't hesitate to call out Arenas for downplaying Curry's shooting abilities.
"I love Gilbert Arenas, love is podccast, brother knows basketball," Smith said. "I think he lost his d**n mind on this one.
"When have you seen a shooter like Steph Curry in our lifetime? I've been on earth for 56 years. Gilbert Arenas is in his 30s, I think. Talk to shooters everywhere, when have you seen somebody like Curry?" (35:40 mark)
Gilbert Arenas' stance may be divisive, but it continues to fuel debates about what truly defines a generational talent in the NBA.