Former NBA Star Claims “They Set It Up for Failure” Against LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Others While Discussing His 2006 Team USA Snub

Published 06/27/2023, 1:10 PM EDT

It was 2004 and our mighty Team USA slipped in the Athens Olympics. They only won a bronze medal at the time. Despite having superstars like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, and Stephon Marbury, the team didn’t get a chance to win. Many players opted out. The players left didn’t get a chance to play much. After their dismal outing in 2004, many tough decisions were made, including cutting a popular star out of the team.

Preparing rosters for Team USA Basketball for the FIBA championship. It’s definitely not a joke, even for the biggest of NBA fraternity members. So, what really happened that led to a popular star walking out?

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Fans often criticize Team USA for not playing team basketball because of the ball-dominant superstars on the team. They often sight it as a reason when they fail in the international setup. So Mike Krzyzewski, the then coach, wanted the team to play unselfishly. He only wanted players who were ready to work hard.

To identify the names on the roster, a tryout was scheduled where 30 NBA stars locked horns. Chris Paul recently talked about the tryouts and noted that Gilbert Arenas was cut from the team.

Paul adds that Arenas wasn’t happy and let the coaches know about it.

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The video clip went viral on social media. Since the issue involves Arenas, he was asked about it during his appearance on The Pat Bev Podcast.

In the episode, he talks about his journey and adds a heartbreaking perspective on the issue.

He says, “I wasn’t the personality yet! I wasn’t really the person yet.”

So, what does he mean?

What went wrong?

Arenas claims that his “shoe brands” made him a major part of his snub. He further adds he did everything from playing defense to hustling for loose balls to stay on the team.

However, he fails to do so!

He adds, “What they did was this. They set it up for failure. So this one team: LeBron, DWade, Melo, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, CP, Joe Johnson, right? It’s me, Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Antawn Jamison, Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen.”

“It’s not good enough!” adds the host.

Gilbert agrees and adds, “The teammates decided, ‘Give Gilbert the ball. He’s too fast. So we’re going to 21, I got 18.”

Arenas claims they dubbed him “selfish” because his teammates passed him the ball and he scored a lot. The former Warriors star said, “So I’m basically the selfish one in the group trying to compete.”

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He stated he didn’t get good minutes while playing International Friendlies even though he made shots consistently. Arenas was tired of being subbed out immediately after coming in. Yet, he competed in the practice session. Despite being afraid of potential injuries to his groin, he didn’t stop playing. He just didn’t want a spot as injured.

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Arenas says, the staff said that he doesn’t have to worry because he is a backup. This did not sit well with him because there weren’t many stars on the team. He felt he would at least get the 6th or 7th spot after James, CP3, Wade, Carmelo, and Howard.

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So he was furious and quit. Notably, Arenas averaged 29 points per game the season prior. Also, Team USA failed to win the 2006 FIBA Championship. Krzyzewski once disclosed the 2006 loss was his ‘lowest moment’.

What’s your take on the issue? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, with a strong passion for the sport that started at the young age of ten. As a former college player, Bagavathi has been following the NBA for more than a decade and has found his calling in writing about the sport. His expertise in covering the NBA, as well as other arenas of the sport, is evident in his writing.

Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja

Former NBA Star Claims “They Set It Up for Failure” Against LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Others While Discussing His 2006 Team USA Snub

Former MIP discusses going against LeBron James, Chris Paul, and other stars

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