Gilbert Arenas is puzzled by insane expectations from 40-year-old LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 20-16 record.
Sure, they could do a lot better, but there is an equal chance of them out of the playoff race as well. After all, their primary superstar is 40-year-old LeBron James.
Despite now being in his 40s, the NBA media has immense expectations from the King. So much so that they will consider anything less than reaching the NBA Finals as a failure on his part.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Gilbert Arenas talks about LeBron James and Michael Jordan
Sure, James isn’t the first player to be in the NBA at 40 years old, but he is surely the best.
On top of that, the media has never put such high expectations on a 40-year-old ever before. NBA legend Michael Jordan’s stint with the Washington Wizards is the perfect example of this bias.
Keeping that in mind, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas finally put an end to the LBJ vs. MJ debate at 40 to an end while asking major questions from the media.
“The best 40-year-old that played is LeBron, the second-best 40-year-old was Michael Jordan. They didn’t expect anything from MJ, they were just so happy to see a 40-year-old go out there, average 20,” Arenas said.
He added: “Why are they putting so much effort into trying to tear LeBron down for just trying to play at 40? Like, we’re pretending that he’s 20…Like, ‘He’s expected to win a championship’, he’s 40!”
As Arenas pointed out, fans tend to forget that James is arguably in the final few seasons of his NBA career.
At this age, it’s rare to put up great numbers, let alone lead a team to an NBA Finals run. However, most expect the latter from James. But that was never the case with Jordan.
“The best 40-year old that played is LeBron, the second best is Michael Jordan.”
Gil lets it be known who the GOAT old head is 😅 pic.twitter.com/xxIeZjrnT1
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 11, 2025
James vs Jordan comparison
MJ’s final season in the NBA was when he was 39 years old at the start of the season and turned 40 by February. It’s somewhat similar to James’ age this season, as the LA Lakers superstar turned 40 in December 2024.
Speaking of his numbers, the 6x NBA champion averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in the 2002-03 season. He earned NBA All-Star honors for his impressive numbers.
Another key achievement by Jordan was playing all 82 games in the regular season, albeit coming off the bench 15 times. However, MJ was unable to lead the Wizards to the playoffs.
As for James, he is currently averaging 23.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. He is statistically having a better season than Mike, all while leading the Lakers to a playoff berth.
So, even with humongous expectations on his shoulders, LeBron continues to prove his critics wrong. It’s about time fans realize that James could very well go down as the GOAT over Jordan when it’s all said and done.