After former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas made an effort to motivate former NBA player Nate Robinson, Nick Young delivered a stinging jab about Arenas never recovering from a psychological ploy by LeBron James.
Robinson was battered by YouTube star Jake Paul in two rounds of a Saturday night boxing match, leading to tremendous amounts of ridicule on social media directed at Robinson.
Arenas then made a questionable effort to motivate Robinson by citing past instances of Robinson being dominated on the court by a number of players, including Arenas himself.
That caused Young, who began his career as a teammate of Arenas with the Wizards, to recall a 2006 incident that involved James briefly interacting with Arenas.
In the first round of that year’s Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavaliers led 3-2 in the series but trailed 113-112 in overtime, with Arenas going to the line for two shots.
James reportedly said to him, “If you miss these, you know who’s going to make it.” Arenas did end up missing both attempts, with the Cavaliers then winning on a clutch shot by Damon Jones.
Young’s claim that the misses ended Arenas’ career is exaggerated, since Arenas remained in the league until 2012, later playing for the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.
However, after a strong 2006-07 season, Arenas suffered a knee injury and then became embroiled in a notorious argument with then-Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton on Christmas Eve 2009. In the latter instance, both players brought weapons to the Wizards’ practice facility, with the pair suspended by the NBA.
Arenas did sign a huge new contract with the Wizards after the James incident, so it seems a stretch to say that his career crumbled in the wake of James’ mind games.
However, after Arenas’ latest foray on social media, he may be less inclined to offer motivation to others.
