Just a few months ago, Gilbert Arenas seemed ready to toss his name into the mix for the Washington Wizards’ head coaching gig. This came shortly after former coach Doc Rivers landed a new job with the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time, it seemed like Arenas was only trolling Rivers for snagging yet another opportunity. But did Arenas really want to step into the high-stakes world of NBA coaching? Not quite. The truth is, he’s not convinced the role is as glamorous—or secure—as it seems.

Gil’s Arena podcast’s social media shook things up with a video of Arenas dropping some real talk about why coaching isn’t for him. “In today’s game, you gotta be able to have the head coach and the general manager spot,” Arenas explained. He made it clear: being “just a coach” means playing second fiddle to the GM. “You’re picking the team,” he said, referring to the GM. “If I can’t make what you pick work, who are you firing? Me.”

He further laid out his reasoning: “You’re gonna fire me and get a new person. You want both because you get to pick your players. You don’t have to worry about firing.” He even joked about pulling a Pat Riley move—firing himself as a coach and heading upstairs to a cushy front-office role. It’s no wonder he’s steering clear of the NBA bench. One bad season, and you’re out the door.

To be fair, Arenas isn’t a stranger to coaching. Back in 2019, he took the reins of the Big 3 team Enemies, replacing Rick Mahorn. But his team never made the playoffs, and eventually, his buddy Nick Young replaced him.

Still, Arenas couldn’t resist pulling out his resume for the Wizards job—if only for laughs.

Gilbert Arenas campaign for coaching job

Back in 2006, Gilbert Arenas was on fire. He averaged an impressive 30 points per game and earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. But when it came to the All-Star vote, then-Celtics coach Doc Rivers left him hanging. Arenas didn’t let it slide, though. In true Gilbert fashion, he sent Rivers 16 edible arrangement baskets as a not-so-subtle “bribe.” It didn’t change Rivers’ vote, but it definitely added some spice to their history.

Fast forward to now, and Arenas still isn’t holding back. After Rivers landed the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching gig, Arenas took his trolling to a whole new level. On his podcast, Gil’s Arena, he quipped, “Doc got a job. He had to use AI. He couldn’t use his real sh*t.”

The jokes kept rolling when Arenas himself pulled out a mock resume during a panel discussion on his podcast. 2x All-Star with the Wizards humorously claimed he was throwing his hat into the ring for the Wizards’ head coach role. But when his “resume” got called out for being AI-generated, Arenas quickly redirected the heat toward Rivers, accusing him of doing the same to secure the Bucks job.

But Arenas didn’t stop at AI jokes. He launched into a full-on rant about Rivers’ coaching, calling his style “weak” and accusing him of overcoaching the Bucks. According to Arenas, Rivers’ micromanaging is holding the team back from their full potential.

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