The Gils’ Arenas team was inches away from a full-on brawl. If you think social media debates on Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are intense, you clearly missed the latest drama on Gilbert Arena’s podcast. The former Warriors and Wizards guard was on edge as he highlighted what he believed to be Bryant’s former teammate’s errors in judgment during the MJ vs. Kobe debate.

Is Kobe better than Jordan? Former NBA player Nick Young seemed certain about it. A few days ago, he tweeted that Kyrie Irving is to Stephen Curry what Kobe was to MJ. The 39-year-old claimed that while Kyrie was better than Curry as a player, the basketball community would never even have that conversation. And it’s the same case with Kobe and MJ.

Swaggy P cited some of Kobe’s fadeaway shots and other aspects of his game, which he seemingly enhanced after watching MJ for so long. However, not everyone agreed, and Agent Zero was definitely one of them.

What started as a calm conversation quickly escalated into a heated debate when Arenas pointed out how Kobe often gets compared to the older version of MJ. As per him, Kobe should also be compared to the younger version of the Bulls legend from the time 1984-93, who was an athletic marvel, pulling off feats rarely seen before or since.

“Why the f*** are you talking about Kobe and MJ’s moves when you’re only talking about MJ 95, 96? Kobe don’t look nothing like MJ in 84 to 93. He don’t know who that n***a is. MJ in 84 to 93, Kobe don’t know what that guy looks like. He learned. Michael Jordan’s old n***a comeback with the post-up right away. That’s the MJ he mimicked,” Arenas said on the podcast. 

Despite some members’ attempts to mediate, Arenas continued to break down his opinion on the matter. Both Swaggy P and Agent Zero became agitated as they tried to reach a conclusion. But is there even an answer to this debate? While former Lakers star Dwight Howard agreed with Swaggy P, considering their skills, Arenas seemed to be against it.

Gilbert Arenas’ compared Michael Jordan to a Buggati 

Nowadays, Arenas isn’t the only one making noise. Recently, Anthony Edwards stirred the news by claiming that Jordan was the only skilled and athletic player of his time. Fans argued on how the comment appeared disrespectful to many other NBA greats and players of that era.

However, Edwards’ comments also received some approval and support from Arenas, who had a rather interesting way of explaining his opinion. He compared Jordan to cars, calling Jordan a Bugatti while referring to the other players in the 1990s as ‘Honda Civics.’

Arenas stated that Edwards was right about the claim and said, “Basically, all Jordan’s competition in that era did not even have the physical tools to keep up with him. So he was basically a Bugatti and everybody else was a Honda Civic. All the shooting guards were 6’4 and under. They didn’t have no jumping ability, right? So who he went against, he’s saying they wasn’t talented meaning they wasn’t athletic to keep up with them today.” This aspect might come into the picture in the Kobe vs MJ Debate as well.

While Kobe often stated he looked up to MJ growing up, claims that he surpassed his idol aren’t new. The accolades might support His Airness, but many players who played against both of them claim that Kobe mimicked what MJ did but better. We might never see people come to a common understanding in this case.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.