An injury-plagued start, new records, and a broken scoring streak have defined LeBron James’s chaotic 23rd season, fueling a GOAT debate that continues to rage. At 41, the Lakers superstar is playing against opponents on the court and ghosts off of it. And according to one former All-Star, the hate he receives has nothing to do with his game and everything to do with Michael Jordan’s shadow. Former NBA stars have taken it upon themselves to prove who is the better player. Gilbert Arenas has joined that list with his latest take.

“I think the only people who know LeBron as 41 seem to be LeBron. The name itself generates so many different mixed emotions, and it seems to stem from so much hatred that he gets because he’s so close to Jordan.” On his podcast, The Gilbert Arenas Show, the 3x All-Star was very candid in defending James. “If you have him in front of Jordan, if you have him behind Jordan, who gives a s—, because there are 100 players in the NBA, and if this is the conversation of these two or three players, that is in itself (started applauding).

The fact that we’re on whichever side you’re on, you’re pretending the other one is so far down the list; the conversation is between two people. That means the other 5,000 that you’re trying to use don’t even exist in this conversation. So, stop trying to minimize how great these two players are. And what’s happening is the man is 41 years old. The fact that he’s walking still, let alone averaging 25, is crazy.”

Another thing that the Lakers superstar did was to surpass Michael Jordan in another stat. LeBron James now holds the record for most 35-point games after turning 40. But this is a very measured take from Gilbert Arenas. The former Wizards superstar is not blaming the two players, but the dismissive nature of the comparison.

Yes, the peak of MJ was winning six championships in eight years with the Bulls from 1991 to 1998. Across his career, he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, again an unheard-of feat.

His run included five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and 14 All-Star appearances, though his career ended after 15 seasons. In response, LeBron James took on the responsibility of overtaking the legend even before entering the NBA.

The Chosen One title added a lot of pressure, but King James has built his case by performing even today. A career average of 27 after spending 23 seasons in the NBA and still helping his team at the highest level needs some appreciation, too.

That’s when things get interesting. Not everyone follows Arenas’ advice, as a former 2x champion recently demonstrated.

Pistons legend belittles Jordan’s influence over LeBron James

Players of the previous generation who played with and against Michael Jordan seem to side with the Bulls legend. But that’s not what Isiah Thomas has done over the years, especially after the release of The Last Dance, where the 6x NBA champion called an ‘a–hole’ for not shaking hands at the end of the game.

So, it was no surprise when Zeke stated he preferred LBJ. However, he did so by downplaying His Airness’ influence.

“This is what I don’t understand about your era. You guys are playing with arguably the greatest player ever to play, and excuse me when I say this, but y’all treat him like he’s nothing,” Thomas said on Run It Back. “LeBron James is sitting there holding every single basketball record. I mean, every single one of them. But then when y’all talk about the greatest, y’all talk about the guy that gave you some shoes.”

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Thomas believes that many people choose Michael Jordan as their GOAT primarily because of the sneaker culture that Air Jordan helped develop. Again, Thomas was a fierce rival of the six-time NBA champion and even blamed MJ for being left off the ‘Dream Team’.

However, equating his impact solely to shoes is a harsh take, which Gilbert Arenas wants people to avoid, even when defending LeBron James.