Before Trash-Talking With LeBron James, 3x NBA All Star Learned His Lesson the Hard Way Against Dwyane Wade

It’s a lesson as old as time. Never trash-talk all-time NBA players. While some players might wither against the backlash, the great ones shine the brightest against those odds. Unfortunately, sometimes you find that out the hard way. As a result of going after Dwyane Wade, this Washington Wizards legend had to deal with heavy repercussions.

While he was hoping that it would fare like his own experience in mind games, the 3-time All-Star was in for a rude awakening.

‘Hibachi’ pays the price for trash-talking Dwyane Wade

The incident was so severe that, as a result, Gilbert Arenas stopped talking trash altogether. It was a marquee matchup at the beginning of the 2004-05 season. While the Miami Heat were building a special roster around Dwyane Wade, the Wizards were ready to take off.

As both teams came into the matchup undefeated, it was Arenas’ words that ultimately led to his team’s first loss of the season. When asked about their game plan to stop his opponents, Arenas bit off more than he could chew.

“Nobody worried about the Heat man… ‘They got Dwyane Wade… They can’t shoot, we’re just gonna sit in the zone.'” Unfortunately, he was yet to realize his mistake. When teammate Brendan Haywood asked about Arenas’ comments, Gilbert started sweating. “Nobody reads the papers. You don’t think he read that?”?Brendan replied, “We’re about to find out.”

As?Agent Zero?would explain, Wade scored 16 points in a 2-minute stretch. When he came back to the bench, “I think he read all of that bro… Gave us like 37 in 27 minutes.” That was the day Arenas decided to stay away from trash-talking his opponents.

However, that did not always mean that his opponents did, too.

LeBron James makes Gilbert Arenas freeze

One of the more underrated aspects of LeBron James‘ illustrious career is his trash talk. While an imposing presence on the court, and one of its greatest players, his explosions are usually with the ball, as opposed to words. However, he isn’t afraid to use the mental aspect of his game.

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In James’ first-ever playoff series, the game was tied as Arenas went to the free-throw line. Gil had a chance to win the game and send the ‘‘The King’, packing. Before Arenas could make his attempt, though, came the moment.

LeBron stepped up to Gilbert and whispered in his ear, “You know if you miss this, that’s game.” At that moment, a man who channeled his father’s mentality froze. In his own words, he became human. As a result, he missed both, and James’ words came true.

While some freeze, others excel. Eventually, Gil learned his lesson. However, he’s not shy about his comments. Even though off the court, he’s constantly in the NBA circles for his opinions and takes.

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