For most of his 12 seasons in the NBA, Gilbert Arenas was a deadly scorer and one of the best guards in the league, even earning three All-Star selections during his time with the Washington Wizards. Arenas also had the opportunity of playing against some of the most legendary guards in the history of the NBA.
Two of those were Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, who had memorable battles against Arenas, most notably when he was with the Wizards. But when asked which player he found more difficult to guard back in September, Arenas had a surprising answer.
âI would rather guard Kobe [Bryant] than Allen [Iverson],â Arenas claimed on the No Chill Podcast back in September. âWith Kobe, he is going to go to his spots, and he is playing through the offense. He would get the ball, see if he has a good look, pass it, but Allen⊠As soon as he got the ball, he wanted to go and try to score.â
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Despite being the less physically imposing player, Arenas apparently had a more difficult time guarding Iverson, who was an 11-time All-Star and a seven-time All-NBA selection in addition to being the 2001 NBA MVP. Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.5% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc during his illustrious career. Bryant, meanwhile, averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 44.7% from the field and 32.9% from downtown during his 20-year career, which was spent entirely with the Lakers.
Arenas and Iverson met 12 times during their careers, with Iverson holding a 7-5 edge and averaging 27.7 points against Arenas. Not to be outdone, Bryant and Arenas clashed 16 times during their careers, with the five-time champion winning 9-7 and averaging 29.8 points against Agent Zero.
Gilbert Arenas, however, probably meant no disrespect to the Los Angeles Lakers great, as he was just remarking on how difficult it was to go up against two of the greatest guards to ever play the game.
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