Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is one of the most outspoken people in the basketball world, often taking to his own podcast to discuss the league's hot topics. In a lengthy VladTV interview, Arenas again tackles quite a few topics, including how he felt about Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons trolling the Philadelphia 76ers after they fell to the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals.

No stranger to playing devil's advocate, Arenas says he “loved it,” considering the heat that Simmons quietly endured when the Sixers were bounced from the playoffs in 2021. Interestingly enough though, Arenas took it a step further, not only praising Simmons for his defensive performance but placing the blunt of the blame on 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid.

“If we're gonna put blame on someone,” Arenas says, “I'm always gonna blame the most talented and the most naturally gifted of the group and that is gonna be [Joel] Embiid.”

“It reminds me of what Shaquille O’Neal was to Kobe Bryant…” Arenas continues. “You have this guy who's hungry, he wants to win, he wants to be the best that he can be. And then he sees this [ultra] god-gifted player not tapping into his potential!”

However, despite it being Simmons that's often criticized for his work ethic when it comes to his development as a scorer, Arenas believed Embiid is the one that needed to really put in more work.

“That's the Joel Embiid thing with me,” says Arenas, “like bro you're so gifted. If you put in hours and hours and hours on your craft, you will be unstoppable to the point where Ben Simmons is just… You’re supposed to be carrying this team with your dominance but you’re not and we're blaming everyone else.”