Months into testing the NBA waters and the critics haven’t gone easy on Bronny James. Kwane Brown has been one such, outrightly claiming, “Cos he don’t deserve what he got.” But Gilbert Arenas has a different perspective for the 19-year-old and sees the potential. So when the former Washington Wizards star continued with his criticisms, one of which included a sharp jibe at him, Agent 0 took it beyond Bronny’s defense, questioning Brown’s failure to capitalize on mentorship from NBA greats.

In a fiery Instagram video, Arenas didn’t hold back, lambasting Brown for what he perceived as wasted opportunities. “Now I’m mad. I was fake mad before but now I’m real mad. You expect him [Bronny James] to learn something from greats. But you had three greats, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Phil f—-ing Jackson teaching you how to play the game and you didn’t learn s–t.” 

Brown’s NBA journey began with immense promise when Michael Jordan, then with the Washington Wizards, selected him as the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft straight out of Glynn Academy. However, the 6’11” center’s career statistics tell a story of unfulfilled potential. Over his 12-year NBA career spanning seven teams, Brown averaged a modest 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

During his time with the LA Lakers (2005-2008), Brown played under Phil Jackson and alongside Kobe Bryant but failed to develop into the dominant big man many had predicted. He averaged only 7.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 136 games for the Lakers in his career. So Arenas isn’t all thrilled about the comments Brown had for Bronny or him.

“The light does not come from people wanting to see him succeed or people wanting to see him fail. The light comes from ESPN, you (Gilbert Arenas), First Take, and all of you motherf—–s that keep talking about a 55th pick. The light came from his daddy, the light came from the NBA, making sure a 2nd round pick gets on television, the light came from all of you guys creating this light,” Brown had said.

Arenas, not one to back down from a feud, and previously accused of not being a fan of Brown’s game during their playing days, did not hold back with his words. “You had number one and two players of all time that did for a living… You had the real one and the mimic one and you couldn’t mimic the mimic one? The example is right in front of your motherf—ing face,” he adds.

The former Wizards’ star has been under a similar scrutiny as James during his rookie year after he couldn’t fulfil the expectations of a no.1 pick, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. But he continues to be a tough critic. This feud between Arenas and Brown, however, extends far beyond the 19-year-old’s presence in the league.

When Kwame was suspended from the Washington Wizards

The tensions between the two stem from their time together at the Washington Wizards. Brown, who was logging in about 20 minutes through his final run with the franchise, was of the belief that Arenas was involved in the decline of the same. “The thing is, the whole thing stems from Gilbert telling them not to put me in the game. I didn’t come to practice because I was going to be a distraction. I was going to slap the [expletive] out of him,” said Brown (as per ESPN).

But Arenas denies any such actions. He instead believes Brown is only using him as a scpaegoat to mask his struggles on court. “That’s the coach’s decision. I’m not the coach. I’m not the GM. If he feels I have that much pull that I could pull him in and out of the game, then I guess he would blame me. If that’s his excuse for missing practices — to blame me — then I’m strong enough to take the responsibility. But I never told coach to put him out the game,” said Arenas.

The tension peaked between the two during the 2005 playoffs game 3. The team had secured a win against the Chicago Bulls and Brown had played for only 3 minutes. The frustration would lead to his suspension by game 4 and a departure from the franchise, eventually. The bitterness doesn’t seem to have curbed in yet.