Former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas thinks he has a solution for the lack of defense in today’s NBA – “Get rid of all Europeans.”
Arenas made the comments in his latest episode of his Gil’s Arena podcast.
Oddly enough, he managed to single out a pair of such players as getting an exemption from his European player ban – Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
GILBERT ARENAS SAYS :
— BLACK FLAG 🏴 (@FlagBlack007) March 4, 2024
THE EUROPEANS RUINED DEFENCE IN THE NBA . 🤣😂Thoughts 💭 ? pic.twitter.com/EfyiSNqXI2
“I know what they can do [to stop the offense]. Get rid of all the Europeans,” Arenas said.
“You go to college to learn defense. What college do Europeans go to? They have no athleticism. They have no speed, no jumping ability. They are a liability on defense,” he added.
“There are 150 Euros in the league today… name the top defenders. None! Just Rudy and the Greek Freak. Other than that, they are offensive players.”
Other than being solid defensive players, Gobert and Antetokounmpo also happen to be black.
RELATED: WNBA Legend Sheryl Swoopes Says ‘Black People Can’t Be Racist’
Critics Suggest Gilbert Arenas’ Comments May Be Racist
Gilbert Arenas, you may have noticed, did not carve out any exemptions for Nikola Jokic, NBA Finals MVP and Champion with the Denver Nuggets.
Nor did he mention Luka Doncic. Or Jusuf Nurkić of the Phoenix Suns, who is in the top 10 in the league for defensive rating currently.
Outkick slammed the comments as being quietly racist.
“Arenas is talking about white players,” columnist Bobby Burack writes. “‘European’ has become a code word for white players in the NBA.”
"The NBA took away aggression to open up the Euro league. When they first started getting here, it was too rough for them and they didn't make it. So eventually they softened the rules to open up international."
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) February 29, 2024
Gil explains why NBA style and physicality changed pic.twitter.com/ctbyni0bh6
As Bounding Into Sports recently reported, Gilbert Arenas hosted WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes on a recent podcast where she claimed: “Black people can’t be racist.”
Yet, here he is, trashing white European players.
Arenas previously encouraged violence against European players.
“Taking care of these Europeans one at a time,” he joked after Draymond Green slapped Nurkić. “Do your thing!”
Gilbert Arenas further suggested the NBA softened playing rules to accommodate the European players.
“The NBA took away aggression. They took away aggression to open up the EuroLeague. When they first started getting here, it was too rough for them. They didn’t make it. Eventually, they softened the rules,” he said. “They didn’t soften the rules for the Americans. They softened the rules to open up international.
LeBron James is one of the softest players in the league. He is an Emmy Award-level flopper. He didn’t learn defensive techniques in college because he didn’t attend college.
I don’t recall him hailing from Europe.
