Snubbing Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas Makes Unusual Personal GOAT Pick

Agent Zero doesn’t go with the herd. While celebrating a major milestone of his popular show, Gilbert Arenas shared who is the Greatest of All Time who inspired him to play hoops. Spoiler alert: it’s neither Michael Jordan nor LeBron James. His choice is underrated and surprised quite a few. Regardless, his pick and reasoning are far from dismissible.

Arenas can hold his end of a conversation with validity. Revealing why he picked an unusual NBA legend, he summarized the feelings behind picking a GOAT for anyone.

Gilbert Arenas’ GOAT was his inspiration

NBA pro-turned-media star, Gilbert Arenas, celebrated 100 episodes of his show, Gil’s Arena with a fan party. He took a few questions from a live studio audience. One fan wanted to know his “personal GOAT” and not just the same old names that are always discussed. Arenas had to think about it, but he got the memo.

“Imma go with Penny…” That’s Penny Hardaway, the Orlando Magic star who guided the team to the NBA Finals alongside Shaquille O’Neal and current AAC coach. “My GOAT Penny because that’s what made me really love the game,” Gil added.

He’s previously not held back his admiration for Michael Jordan and LeBron James but they’re not his only picks. He once even threw in Vince Carter’s name for consideration. But that’s exactly why he’s allowed to pick who he admires.

“When we talk about GOATs it’s always biased because it’s our feelings on what made us really love the game. So you know Penny Hardaway is my personal GOAT who really made me fall in love…”

He’d go on to describe Hardaway’s game and style right from the day he was drafted. Arenas would wear #25 in high school after Hardaway. He’d emulate him enough for people to notice and compare him to Penny. In his second act, Arenas chose to channel Hardaway’s quieter persona.

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It’s rare to include Penny Hardaway in the conversation, but the 4x All-Star can’t be dismissed obviously. Together with Shaq, he was able to take Orlando farther than ever in franchise history. He’d also win Olympic gold in 1996, a team that Arenas looks up to.

Chill Gil has more than one GOAT

Arenas has spoken about another legend in the way he talks about Penny Hardaway as his inspiration. He played in the Kobe Bryant era and emulated the Mamba Mentality himself.

“It’s him [Kobe] and MJ. You know, that’s why when I heard that, you know, Kobe was at the gym, you know, three hours, four hours before the game, right? That’s what put me in that mode,” Arenas said on the Real Ones. He enjoyed being Bryant’s opponent when they were in the same conference until his move to Washington.

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He’s candid about drawing from the best players, showing the essence of what a GOAT means to an individual. Do you also have an underrated GOAT like Gil?