When discussing the all-time greats in basketball, two names always surface: LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Both players redefined the game, LeBron with his incredible durability and Jordan with his competitive spirit, and the fans spare no time in comparing their stats and accolades. However, as James has clinched up a new streak, a former NBA player has provided a new narrative for His Airness.

In the recent episode of Gil’s Arena podcast, the host of the show Josiah Johnson brought up the topic of LeBron James’ new 10-point streak. “So as we have mentioned earlier LeBron extended his streak of 10-point games to an absurd 1,226 consecutive games,” said Johnson. The host also revealed that next in the line were Michael Jordan with a streak of 866 games and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a streak of 787 games. However, Arenas believed that Jordan would have had more games if he had never retired or played a bit well with the Washington Wizards. “It happened in the Wizards when he messed it up,” said Arenas during the podcast.

However, even though Arenas pointed out that Jordan slacked a little bit in his stint with the Wizards, the 42-year-old also took the responsibility to show the other members of the cast how even his ‘messy’ stint was legendary. “You know what. I don’t care what anyone say, man. When y’all sitting here debating, there’s just little things you got to look at in life to show just, to show how great someone is. This man was dri–ing, smo–ng cig-rs, golfing and then decided to come back September,” Arenas said on his podcast.

While most people only discuss Jordan’s stint with the Chicago Bulls and consider it as legendary, it should also be taken into account that the shooting guard’s stint with the Wizards was equally good. After retiring for a second time, Jordan was 38 years when he came back to the NBA to play with a struggling Wizards franchise. Despite constant injuries and the decline in his performance because of age, Jordan was able to beat expectations over and over, as he averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 142 games for the Wizards in his career. “I’m going to have my imprints and footprints all over this organization. I look forward to turning this thing around. Right now we’re an underachieving team,” said Jordan when he joined the Wizards, as per the Washington Post.

One of the most surprising moments of Michael Jordan’s Wizards stint came after a rare six-point game against the Indiana Pacers in December 2001. Doubters surfaced, but true to his nature, Jordan responded with a masterclass in scoring. Just two days later, he scored 51 points against the Charlotte Hornets, reminding everyone of his ability to dominate at will. Moreover, in the latter game, Jordan had 38 field goal attempts that even the most fit players can’t make. “Think about it. He [Jordan] took 10 shots and then came back and shot 38 times. You know how in shape you got to be is do, this is crazy,” said Arenas during the podcast.

As the debate between these two titans rages on, Arenas’ insights serve as a compelling reminder that while LeBron’s accomplishments are undoubtedly remarkable, it is the sheer scoring dominance of Michael Jordan that may ultimately solidify his status as one the greatest player to ever grace the hardwood. However, there was another time when Arenas spoke on LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Gilbert Arenas’ opinion on LeBron’s playing style

LeBron James is in his 22nd season of the NBA. At 39 years old, the Los Angeles Lakers standout is making waves with his physical ability. However, with age, we can speculate, that the small forward has experienced dips in his performance. However, according to Arenas, King James doesn’t let his fans or other players know that he’s struggling by following a method that MJ used to follow.

During his podcast, Arenas pointed out James’ smart tactic, “He’s 40. I mean, I’m he still makes it look like it’s easy… He’s just smarter now.” Additionally, the former NBA player also gave an anecdote on how Jordan used to have a similar style when he was with the Wizards. “MJ, when he was on the Wizards, he averaged 20. A dude who couldn’t jump really no more, but he’s still getting his shot off because he knows that, ‘I’m Michael Jordan, you’re gonna jump, you’re gonna try to do all this extra stuff, and I’m gonna just use your youth against you,” said Arenas during the podcast.

As mentioned earlier, Jordan’s stint with the Wizards was not as legendary as his stint with the Bulls, but it was still great. He was still the best offensive player on the Wizards due to his high basketball IQ plays, involving simple mid-range jumpers and easy cuts to the basket. In the end, it can be said that both the opinions given by Arenas show that the former shooting guard isn’t afraid to express his opinions, even when it’s about the NBA greats.