Gilbert Arenas once openly criticized LeBron James, famously saying, “I didn’t like that m—— in Miami or Cleveland,” a remark made during the height of their intense rivalry. On the court, their competition was fierce, but off the court, there was a quiet mutual respect between the two. Arenas, for his part, admitted that he didn’t want LeBron to win the 2011 NBA Finals. However, as Arenas transitioned into the broadcasting world, his perspective shifted. What was once disdain has now turned into support, and he’s become one of LeBron’s most vocal advocates. Recently, Arenas even weighed in on LeBron’s comments about having the “IT factor,” further highlighting just how much his view of the Lakers star has evolved.

How good was Arenas on the court? Perhaps the Lakers veteran, who went head-to-head against Agent Zero quite a few times in the past, knows him best. After all, Arenas was an elite scorer during his playing days with the Washington Wizards. During a recent segment of the Mind The Game podcast, the 4x NBA champ and Steve Nash spoke about the influence of players such as Gilbert Arenas and Russell Westbrook on the court.

James emphasized how Arenas was incredible and always put up an unprecedented game. “He (Gilbert) had the belief in himself, he had the it factor every time he touched the court, you was like “Oh s— this guy’s special,” he said. Nash also agreed with the Lakers veteran. That’s something big after being on the receiving end of a curse. So what does Arenas have to say about this? On The Gil’s Arena podcast, he graciously accepted the praise from the veteran. He went on to detail why such words from rivals and former NBA players mean so much.

“Most of our accolades that we do accept are from our peers, right, because they are watching us. They’re playing against us in real time to know how good we really are….I appreciate the kind words, but the IT factor, like being a guy who was confident, that just came from me just training,” Arenas shared. The former Warriors player has always been candid about his takes on James. While he has always defended the Lakers player, Arenas didn’t hesitate to dish out some bitter takes, too. Responding to the chatter about whether James deserves a statue with the Lakers, Arenas expressed his doubts. Agent Zero added that the only time he sees the Lakers honoring the 4x NBA Finals MVP with a statue is if he amasses more accolades while playing for the franchise.

Well, James still has plenty of time to rack up his achievements. As Arenas shared, he once rooted for the Dallas Mavericks to defeat the Miami Heat and James.

Why did Gilbert Arenas wish the Mavericks to beat the Heat? 

During a special segment on his podcast, the former NBA player detailed that his dislike for James was so strong during their playing days that he wished for the Mavericks to win the 2011 NBA Finals. The two had faced each other in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in 2006. While Arenas was impressive, averaging 34 points in the series, the Los Angeles Lakers player had an exciting game too, averaging 35.7 points per game and leading his team to victory. So what happened next?

During Game 6 of their playoff series, James infamously tapped Arenas on the shoulder, seemingly signaling his dominance. The moment left Arenas so bitter that he later admitted he couldn’t bear the thought of LeBron winning the 2011 title.

“I was with you m———- back then. That same m———- tapped me on my shoulder. F— him. I was with Dallas. Hell yeah, Caron, beat that m———-,” the former Golden State Warriors player said on his podcast. Well, as said, things have changed between the two now. While they couldn’t praise and admire each other openly in the past, both have only adulation!