Over the last few years, one of the most prevalent discussions in the NBA is comparison. Due to its very nature as a competitive sport, comparisons are an obvious discussion to divulge in. However, according to a former Washington Wizards legend, the discussion has gone too far. And, his point relies on the disregard for various stats. To make his point, he even brought up Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. For him, the conversation went too far once the term “stat-pad” was thrown around.

Whether it be Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, the chatter has been around for some time now. To some form, “Basketball conversations are toxic now.” To some extent, the point holds true. While fans try to hype up their own favorites, media outlets promote certain “storylines” to sell content.

The former star spoke about Magic Johnson to prove his point

Hoop lovers have long criticized the shift away from the game. But, even in those discussions, three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas finds a flaw. The very nature of the discussion. Even though everyone pledges a lack of bias, they try to push their own agendas. As a result, many valid points based on stats are disregarded. Or, in the worst of cases, termed “stat-pad”.

Whether it was Russell Westbrook or reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, all receive the accusation. Speaking about the problem, Arenas even invoked Magic Johnson into the conversation. Arenas stated that the game went down once we started calling everything stat padding. On the Westbrook point, Gilbert couldn’t believe how something which hasn’t been done in the last 30 or 40 years can be called stat padding.

Speaking on the common critique of “he’s hustling for his rebounds or passing instead of taking a layup”, Gilbert echoed the 5x NBA champion. Arenas questioned, “What the f*ck did Magic Johnson do? You think the assists leader wasn’t trying to be the assists leader?

He added, “Like, he got to 15,000 for a reason. Magic Johnson was making- that’s not padding your stats. It’s f***ing basketball.”

Then, Agent Zero’s critique shifted to people criticizing athletes without any prior experience.

Should the conversation have gatekeepers?

Gilbert Arenas even mentioned his problem with people who critique the game without having played it. As Iman Shumpert brought up the perspective of fans not realizing, Arenas made his thoughts on the matter known. When Shumpert asked, “You not watching the game?”, Gilbert immediately fired back.

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He noted, “They’re listening to someone who’s never played the game. Watching the game, you’re an analyst and you’re watching it, and you’ve been watching it for years. That’s what’s up. That’s cool. I like it. That’s what’s up. But if you never, then it’s easy for you [to critique].” 

The 3-time All-Star, who’s been highly critical of Team USA, focused on how without being in the situation, critiquing someone’s actions in it was a fool’s errand. While that idea holds true in the walk of life, Never judge someone without walking a mile in their shoes, can the same dialect be applied to the game?

What do you think of the conversation? Let us know in the comments below.

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