"He let all of them know"- Chris Paul says Gilbert Arenas went berserk when he got cut from Team USA in 2006
In 2006, when Team USA began building toward Olympic success, there were a lot of tough decisions to make. Unfortunately, Gilbert Arenas was one of them, as he got cut from the roster.
According to Chris Paul in a recent interview, Arenas did not take the news well, as the former NBA guard 'went beserk' on finding out that he was cut.
"We had tryouts in 2006. They bought out 30-something NBA players to Vegas. Like throw the ball out on the floor, dive on the floor. We had real tryouts. You imagine getting to the NBA, the highest point in your life, and then you get cut?"
He continued:
"When they cut him. Gil let all them know. He let all them know. He was like, 'listen, when I play y'all, Imma give you 50. Imma gonna give you 60. And if I could go back to college, coach K i would give you 70.' Guess what he did, when he played against Portland, Nate McMillan - 50. When he played against D'Antoni - 50."
Gilbert Arenas played 552 NBA regular-season games, producing 20.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game and shooting 42.1% from the field and 35.1% from deep. Since retiring, Arenas has become the host of a popular basketball podcast and still remains part of the NBA ecosystem.
Gilbert Arenas disappointed with LA Lakers getting swept
While Gilbert Arenas never suited up for the LA Lakers, they have continued to be his favorite team. As such, you can imagine his disgruntlement when the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
On Vlad TV, Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on the Lakers' struggles and how the Nuggets controlled the series from start to finish.
"You don't have to throw it in our face…I was surprised that it was a sweep," Arenas said. "It just didn't make sense why no one else could help. 12 points, you just average 12 for this series, you average four, three. Our other guard, you averaging five.
"You guys average ten; you win this series, especially after losing the first two games in Denver, where Denver played very well. We didn't play well, but we only lost by three or five points. Coming back home, this is good signs, but players just didn't show up."
After beating the Lakers to reach their first NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets are tied at one apiece with the Miami Heat.
The Nuggets head to Miami for games three and four, hoping to secure at least a road win so that the series remains close when the two teams head back to the Ball Arena in Denver for game six.
Fortunately for the Nuggets, they boast the best player in the series in Nikola Jokic. They will count on him again as they eye a first NBA championship.