"They didn't like the idea": Gilbert Arenas claims Michael Jordan was 'erased' by Wizards
Michael Jordan and Gilbert Arenas were never teammates in the Washington Wizards. Jordan retired at the end of the 2002-03 season after spending a couple of years with the franchise. In the summer of 2003, Arenas left the Golden State Warriors and joined the team as his replacement.
Before playing for the Wizards, the Chicago Bulls' legend became the team's general manager and then a minority owner.
However, it appears that the players didn't want Michael Jordan to remain a minority owner, according to Gilbert Arenas.
"How he was dealing with the players, they didn't like the idea that this is how they were dealt with as the player version of him, what happens as the owner version of him," Arenas said on his podcast. "So the team had a meeting and basically said we don't want him here we don't want him to be our owner.
"So, you know, Mr. Pollen basically said, well, I mean, the players voted, so he had the meeting with MJ, gave him that check, and said, you know, team don't want you, gave him 10 million. MJ threw that mother***r and left. Mr. Pollen was getting killed because of the MJ thing."
As the three-time All-Star also said, the Wizards brought him in in the summer of 2003 to make Washington a winning franchise and make people forget Michael Jordan.
"'Erase Jordan’s name and you’re cool' ... I got paid $64 million," Arenas said on his 'Gil's Arena' podcast.
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Gilbert Arenas calls himself, not Michael Jordan, the Washington Wizards GOAT
Gilbert Arenas spent seven years with the Washington Wizards, joining the team in the summer of 2003 and staying there until 2010.
During his stint with the franchise, he led the Wizards to the NBA playoffs in four consecutive years (2005-2008). In three of them, he also became an All-Star (2005-2007).
Thus, he joked about that and called himself, and not Michael Jordan, the GOAT of the franchise:
"I did something MJ couldn’t do. Got the Wizards in the playoffs and won the playoffs series. I’m the GOAT. If you add up our stats together, I mean, I burn him. If we want to go to history, I gave him 41 (points). I will tell my kids that."
Gilbert Arenas spent 12 years in the league but never won the championship or played in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan retired as a six-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, a five-time NBA MVP, a 14-time All-Star and a 10-time scoring champion.
He was also the owner of the Charlotte Hornets for several years before selling the franchise this past summer, as he continues to be in the GOAT conversation with LeBron James.