Imagine getting your career-high against a legend like Kobe Bryant but then being robbed of the flex. And by your own close friends, nonetheless. If you can understand the feeling, you know how former Golden State Warriors star Gilbert Arenas might’ve felt listening to Rashad McCants‘ take on his 60 points against the LA Lakers in the 2005-06 season. The viewpoint, though, raised in an old podcast episode of Gil’s Arena, was shared by the Instagram account for the show. The occasion? Today is the day when Arenas achieved this impressive feat.

McCant’s opinion in the IG video, however, might make it sound less impressive. “You saying, I scored 60 on Kobe… When you say that. That’s false, Gil, and you know it. And you say it for the cap. You know you didn’t score 60 on Kobe,” he said. McCant’s argument is that only 24 of those 60 points came against Kobe Bryant. Arenas, however, had his own points to validate his claim.

“If I was this responsibility, and I got the rebound and took off, those are two points. If I got fouled…” Gil was saying, but before he could complete, Rashad dismissed these sorts of points to be against Black Mamba. McCants emphasized only the points that are scored while a player is defending you can be counted against him. “If an NBA player played on the court and you played in that game, even if he didn’t guard you. When you told that story as if you bust his a**,” Gil gave a different perspective. Hard to argue with that.

Regardless of the technicalities, Arenas’ 60-point explosion remains an incredible achievement. His scoring barrage propelled the Washington Wizards to a thrilling 147-141 victory over the Lakers. Gil was unstoppable, dropping 17 points in the first half, 27 in the second, and an astounding 16 points in overtime — including 14 consecutive in just five minutes.

Though debates over semantics persist, Arenas’ iconic performance showcased his scoring mastery, cementing his place in NBA lore. The technicality of whether he scored 60 points on Black Mamba is something you can always debate.

Gilbert Arenas, once stated more than anything else about him, Kobe Bryant respected his work ethic

When you think of Gilbert Arenas, his scoring dominance from 2005 to 2007 probably comes to mind. But did you know it was his work ethic that truly earned Black Mamba’s respect? Yes, even Agent Zero’s 60-point explosion against the Lakers in December 2006 was rooted in that relentless drive.

Gil shared this story on The Pivot Podcast, where he reflected on that memorable game. Imagine this—his former college teammate, Luke Walton, tells him Kobe is determined to lock him down. What would you do with that knowledge? Arenas saw it as a challenge and responded in a spectacular fashion.

But the 60-point response was not just a luck-by-chance thing. Yep, while his on-court personality was loud and flashy, off the court, Gil was a true student of the game. Picture him sitting quietly in the stands before games, watching Bryant’s pregame routine like a kid studying for a final exam. As admitted by him, Arenas didn’t just admire Kobe—he learned from him, applying those lessons to his own workouts.

And guess what? Kobe noticed. “That’s the reason he respected me,” Arenas said. “He saw me watching and getting better every year.” It’s not just about talent—it’s about how much you’re willing to invest in your craft. And more than the argument, if Gil scored 60 points against Kobe Bryant, what matters is the amount of work he put in to reach those numbers.