Gilbert Arenas Snubs Celtics’ Claim to Best NBA Team, Says Golden Era Was Before the Merger

“Boston are sh**.” Gilbert Arenas ignited another heated debate across the NBA community with his latest controversial statement. This isn’t the first time Arenas has taken aim at the Boston Celtics. Before the Celtics won their historic 18th championship, Agent Zero made similar remarks while responding to former Celtics star Paul Pierce. However, his recent statements carry significant weight as he hinted at a deeper conspiracy.

In an interview with Vlad TV, 3× NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was asked if he believed the Celtics were the greatest franchise of all time. With a smile, he responded, “No,” emphasizing that he is a Los Angeles Lakers fan, even though he never played for the franchise. However, Agent Zero suggested that we could regard the Lakers as the best franchise in basketball history and pointed out that the Celtics’ dominance happened during an era when the NBA didn’t fully allow African-American players.

Moreover, Arenas pointed out that the Celtics’ numerous championships came during a time when they played what he described as “AAU-level schedules”. He highlighted the lack of diversity in the league at that time, noting there were only three to four black players in the entire league. Agent Zero argued that since the NBA-ABA merger, the Los Angeles Lakers have been the premier basketball franchise, winning 11 championships in a more competitive and inclusive era.

When the host suggested there might now be an argument for the Celtics being the best franchise, Arenas acknowledged their success but downplayed it. Agent Zero explained that since the NBA merged with the ABA in the 1970s, Boston has won only five championships. This, he argued, pales in comparison to the Lakers’ achievements in the same period, reinforcing his stance on the matter.

Despite Arenas’s allegations, the Celtics remain the only team to have clinched 18 championships. This monumental feat solidifies the Boston Celtics’ place in history, although the debate about the greatest franchise continues.

Another Arenas controversy occurred when 10× NBA All-Star and NBA champion (2008) Paul Pierce boldly guaranteed that Boston would be the first to reach 18 championships. But that claim didn’t sit well with Gilbert Arenas.

Gilbert Arenas mocked Pierce and Boston before the 18th

In an episode of Gil’s Arena podcast, he mocked Pierce, highlighting that “Lakers fans just caught up to a group whose whole legacy of championships was built with eight teams.” Agent Zero hilariously mentioned that 95% of Boston’s championships were won before Pierce was even born.

The 42-year-old didn’t hold back when Pierce ridiculed L.A.’s bubble title as the Mickey Mouse title. “Those AAU championships were really less than the Mickey Mouse one,” Arenas retorted. He continued to belittle Boston’s early championships by comparing them unfavorably to the Lakers’ recent success.

Additionally, in the podcast, he pointed out that in the last 30 years, the Celtics only won one championship. Agent Zero noted that Boston has only made two Finals appearances since then, in 2010 and 2022, losing both times. However, with 18 championships now, the Celtics are again ahead of the Lakers, but the debate over which franchise is truly the greatest continues to captivate fans.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.